Bleeding Heart
by superstargirl7
Summary: Battling against her mother and feeling abandoned by her friends, Brooke's life is falling apart. Getting attacked in her own store is the last straw, breaking Brooke completely. Will anyone be able to save her? Set in season 6, eventually Brucas.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi guys! To everyone who had been reading "Trapped", here is my new story, as I promised! It will eventually be a Brucas story, but it will take time for the two of them to get together, so be patient! ;-)**

**The story takes place in season 6, right after the events of episode 6.01, so whoever watched it doesn't have to worry about spoilers. It begins right after Brooke being attacked and from then on, it's written out of my imagination, so any similarity to the real storyline on the show is simply a coincident.**

**So here it is! I hope you'll enjoy it! ;-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 1**

Red had always been Brooke Davis' color. Whenever she would put on her classic red lipstick, she knew that her immaculate features would stand out even more. Whenever she would choose to wear her self-designed fitted red dress, she could already predict that heads would be turning her way. Brooke Davis knew that she was pretty, but when she would accentuate her features with red, she absolutely felt like the most beautiful girl in the world. It was such a daring color, yet so associated with emotions and life, that upon looking at herself in the mirror while wearing red clothes, jewelry or lipstick, Brooke actually believed that she was "brilliant and beautiful and brave", just like Lucas had once written about her.

Until that day.

While helplessly lying in a pool of her own blood on her store's floor and feeling her face, wrist, arm, ribcage and thigh swell up as the red liquid trickled down from her forehead and poured out of her mouth, Brooke Davis came to a new understanding. She felt dirty and repulsive. She felt weak and powerless. And she hated the color red.

* * *

Forty eight hours earlier, things looked completely different, almost as though they were a different person's life. As Brooke was preparing Angie for their fun day at the beach, she couldn't help but feel happy; she still had eight more days to spend with the precious little girl she had gotten so attached to, the store was doing great and she was successful in managing it on her own, she and Lucas had gotten very close and he had been there for her when she needed him, and she finally felt like she had found her place, her home, among Haley, Nathan, Jamie, Peyton, Lucas, Millicent and Mouth. Of course, she was suppressing a great sadness due to Angie's upcoming departure, but she decided to make the most of the time she had left with the silly little girl instead of moping around all day. It had been working extremely well until she received the phone call from the adoption agency, informing her that she had to give Angie back that very day. And from that moment on, things started to get worse and worse.

As she lay on the cold floor and coughed out more blood, Brooke thought back to the torturing moment when she had to give Angie away. Even though she had tried very hard not to, she had already grown so attached to the little baby, she began to think of herself as Angie's mother. Therefore, as Angie was taken out of her arms, Brooke felt like something in her heart cracked. She could vividly remember the comforting feeling of Lucas' arms wrapped around her, leading her back to her car and resting on her leg as he drove her home. He was effectively consoling her, even though he had barely said a word to her, and as she flinched in pain in the darkness of her wrecked store, Brooke wished that Lucas could just come and hold her in his strong arms again. She just wished that he could take away everything that had happened since the last time she had seen him.

Brooke groaned in pain as she felt herself beginning to drift away and came to the understanding that her life was a mess. Her own mother was trying to steal her company away from her, which sadly proved to Brooke that all the time Victoria had spent with her when they had been business partners was strictly a business arrangement. Even though she had fired her, Brooke cherished the four years in which they worked so closely to each other, and had secretly hoped that Victoria had wanted to become a part of _Clothes over Bros'_ at least partially as an excuse to spend more time with her daughter. Now, however, that she understood that she was wrong, that he mother never really cared about her but only about her money, she felt as if she had been backstabbed, and not only due to the piercing pain that coursed through her body.

As Brooke's vision began to blur, a frightening thought entered her mind- maybe she was about to die, slowly bleed until her body would be drained out of blood and only be found accidentally when it would be too late. Brooke gasped at the horrible thought and immediately let out a defeated whimper of pain, as she felt her ribcage's injury attacking her senses once more. Trying to prevent herself from panicking, Brooke tried to think rationally and told herself that somebody had to be looking for her. When she tried to think of who it would be, Brooke felt an awful feeling in the pit of her stomach and realized just how lonely she was- Peyton was gone and Lucas was gone, and maybe they were even together, forgetting that she ever existed, Millicent and Mouth were on their way to Omaha for the start of a new life together, Haley and Nathan had Jamie and their own issues to deal with, Rachel had stolen money from her and vanished, and her own parents couldn't care less about how she was doing. She had no one.

Brooke felt a sole tear slip from her eye as she acknowledged how lost and alone she was in the world. Even a complete stranger had hurt her- invaded her store- her pride and joy, trashed it and beaten her up, leaving her to lie in her pool of blood and realize how her world was falling apart. It was almost a relief to Brooke when she finally felt herself slipping away and thought that maybe that was it- maybe she wouldn't ever have to wake up again, maybe it was time for her to move on to a better place…

* * *

**AN: I know that this chapter is pretty short, but I promise that the chapters will become longer as the story builds up. I really hope this was any good, and would be really happy to hear what you guys thought! ;-)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi guys! I have to begin with telling you that your reviews totally blew me away! I have never gotten as many reviews for a single chapter, and it definitely helped me work harder on this chapter and complete it sooner! So thanks again to everyone who has reviewed! **

**I really hope that you'll enjoy this chapter, and it would truly be great to hear your thoughts again! ;-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 2**

As Brooke slipped out of consciousness, thinking that everyone had forgotten about her, she actually occupied the thoughts of several people. The first of which was a blonde, brooding writer by the name of Lucas Scott.

Even though Lucas had officially made up his mind regarding who he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, he was still thinking about the two women he had left behind. As his fingers played with the light curls of Peyton Sawyer, the woman who now shared his bed, Lucas couldn't help but think about her best friend- Brooke Davis. He suddenly realized that he might have not chosen the best time to leave Tree Hill, as Brooke was still grieving over Angie's loss and just when she needed her friends the most, he went away and took Brooke's best friend along with him. As guilt washed over him due to his selfish, thoughtless actions, Lucas felt Peyton stirring in his arms.

"What are you thinking about?", she looked up at him with questioning eyes.

"Brooke…", he automatically replied, but as he saw the jealousy beginning to cloud up Peyton's eyes, he was quick to elaborate, "It's just that she had to give Angie back yesterday and I was thinking that maybe I should give her a call, just to make sure she's alright", he explained.

"I'm sure she's fine", Peyton said, slightly snapping at Lucas. She immediately felt like a horrible best friend, but simply couldn't shake the defensiveness and insecurity that seemed to overpower her every time Lucas would talk about Brooke. When Lucas raised an eyebrow in response to Peyton's harsh tone, Peyton sighed and climbed over Lucas' lap, straddling him. "Luke, you know Brooke- she's strong, and she's got Haley, Nathan and Mouth to look after her back at home", she tried to reason with Lucas, running her hands through his hair in an attempt to soothe him and get his mind off of Brooke. She knew that it was selfish, but Peyton didn't want to think about anybody else other than herself and Lucas at that moment, after finally getting back to him after all that time. Seeing that Lucas was still worrying about her best friend, Peyton began to grow irritated. She rolled her eyes impatiently and then wrapped her arms around Lucas' neck, "Look, I'm sure she would have called if anything was wrong, but right now she's probably in bed already, and in case you have forgotten- so are we…", Peyton said to Lucas with a seductive grin, biting her lower lip teasingly.

Lucas chuckled and shook his head in defeat. Not wanting to upset Peyton, he gave in to her and lay back in bed with her, wrapping his arms around her slender form. He convinced himself that Peyton was right- that Brooke was just fine. He then fell asleep, not realizing how tragically wrong he was…

* * *

On the other side of the country, a small blue-eyed boy by the name of James Lucas Scott, who was a miniature clone of his brooding uncle- Lucas, was thinking about Brooke too.

Even though it was way past his bedtime, little Jamie lay in his bed wide-awake, worrying about his aunt Brooke. He knew that recently, Brooke had been really busy taking care of a sick baby named Angie, who actually seemed pretty healthy to him, as she used to giggle every time she saw him. Jamie was secretly jealous of Angie for getting to spend so much time with his aunt Brooke and for receiving some of the attention he used to get all for himself, but when his uncle Lucas came over the day before and told him that Angie returned to her real parents, his jealousy was replaced with hope that now he and Brooke would go back to having fun together. Jamie excitedly called Brooke and invited her to come over and play, and Brooke promised that she would come over on the next day, during the evening, but never came. Upset, Jamie dialed Brooke's cell phone number over and over again, until his mother, Haley, forced him to brush his teeth and go to bed. She promised him that she would talk to Brooke on the next day, but Jamie knew that Brooke wouldn't just forget to come. He knew that something was wrong. Determined to find out why his aunt Brooke didn't show up, Jamie hopped out of his bed and scurried over to his parents' bedroom.

* * *

In the very room that Jamie was heading towards, were the next two people who had Brooke on their minds. Haley and Nathan knew Brooke well enough to understand that standing a person up was not like her. They lay quietly side by side in their bed, both bothered by thoughts about their brunette friend. It was Haley who finally broke the silence.

"Nathan, should we be worried about Brooke?", she asked her husband quietly, not wanting her young son to hear her, in case he was still awake. She knew that Brooke was still hurting over giving Angie back, yet she had seen her that very morning and even though she had been shoved by a shoplifter and was having trouble with her mother, she seemed to be keeping it together very well.

"I don't know about you, Hales, but I sure am", Nathan sincerely replied. The only reason he wasn't making a bigger deal out of it was that he didn't want to upset Jamie even more. The couple was tensely silent for a few moments, and then Nathan suddenly sat up in their bed.

"You know what, Haley… I think that I'm gonna go over to Brooke's right now, to check on her", Nathan looked at his wife and then explained, "Something just doesn't feel right…".

"You're right…", Haley agreed, realizing that they would all sleep much better if they knew that Brooke was simply too distracted by everything that happened to her to remember her promise to Jamie. "Call me when you're with her", Haley asked Nathan as she watched him quickly get dressed, knowing that with the worries in her mind and an empty space by her side in bed, she could never fall asleep.

"Sure, babe", Nathan nodded his head. Once he was fully dressed, he walked up to the bed and gave Haley a peck on the lips. "I guess I'd better get going… I'll see you later", he bid his wife goodbye. Just as he turned to leave the room, he suddenly heard a small voice calling out.

"I wanna go with you, daddy!".

"Jamie…", Nathan looked down at his son and didn't know what to say. He was surprised to find the young boy awake, yet at the same time was touched by his concern for his godmother. Nathan didn't want to leave a worried kid behind as he went out to check on Brooke, but didn't like the idea of taking him out of the house in the middle of the night either. He finally knelt down, so he could be eye-leveled with Jamie, and softly asked him, "Do you know what time it is, buddy?".

"But daddy, what if something happened to aunt Brooke?", Jamie asked in alarm, ignoring his father's question and referring only to the implied refusal in his tone.

"I'm sure she's fine, buddy, and just in case I'm going to go over to her house, so you have nothing to worry about, alright?", Nathan tried to reassure his little boy. He playfully tapped Jamie's nose, trying to get a smile out of him, but frowned as he saw tears forming in his son's eyes.

"Can't I just come with you, daddy?", Jamie tearfully pleaded, obviously scared for his beloved godmother. "Please?", Jamie looked right at his father with his big, wet eyes, causing Nathan to sigh in defeat.

"O.K., Jim-Jam. Go put your shoes on really quick", Nathan said to Jamie, cheering him up a little and causing him to race to his bedroom to get his shoes.

"I guess we'll make this a family outing…", Haley chuckled as she rose to her feet as well and put on some sweatpants and a sweater. She most certainly wasn't planning on staying at home alone as the worries for her friend plagued her mind. She knew that if they would indeed find Brooke at her house, it would seem pretty ridiculous that all three of them felt the need to visit her in the middle of the night, but Haley was far too concerned at that moment to care.

As Jamie ran back in his parents' room, now wearing his sneakers, the small family walked out of their house to their car and headed towards Brooke's house, praying to find her safely curled up in her bed, peacefully dreaming sweet dreams…

* * *

"Daddy- all the lights are out!", Jamie shared his observation upon looking at Brooke's abandoned house as they parked in front of it.

"Maybe she's asleep…", Nathan, who tried to remain hopeful, suggested. If she was, Nathan felt bad to barge into her house in the middle of the night, wake her up and maybe even scare her and make her think that someone had broken into her house. Just as Nathan was about to suggest that they won't disturb Brooke and come back in the morning, he felt Haley grab his arm in alarm.

"Her car isn't in the driveway…", Haley told her husband in slight panic, realizing more and more that something was terrible wrong with Brooke. The two of them shared a frightened look and then jumped out of the car, grabbed Jamie and ran frantically towards Brooke's dark house.

It took Haley a minute to fumble through her keys with her shaking hands until she finally found her copy of Brooke's house key. She hastily unlocked the door and pushed it open, turning the lights on as she ran into the house.

"Brooke!", she called out desperately as she raced around the first floor of the house in a frenzy, wanting more than anything to just bump into her dear friend.

"Brooke, it's us. Are you here?", Nathan asked in growing panic as he opened up doors and flicked lights on as he searched for Brooke in the different rooms of her house.

"Aunt Brooke! Aunt Brooke!", Jamie cried in distress, running up the stairs and entering Brooke's empty bedroom. His lower lip began to quiver as he realized that something really bad must have happened to her. Frightened, he raced back down the stairs and leapt into his mother's arms. "Momma- she's not here!", he fearfully told Haley, holding onto her tightly.

"Nate, I think that maybe we should call the police", Haley said to her husband in a shaky voice as he joined them in the entrance of the house after he, too, could find no trace of Brooke. She was fighting very hard no to cry, as she didn't want to frighten Jamie even more, yet was beginning to think about numerous horrible things that could have happened to her friend.

"Let's just check her store first", Nathan suggested, trying not to panic, and wanting to make sure they wouldn't summon the police for no reason. "She could be there…", he said and Haley nodded in agreement, realizing that it was way too late for it to make sense that Brooke would still be in the store, but wanting to hang on to that last trail of hope that maybe Brooke was alright and simply buried herself in work in order to avoid her emotions about loosing Angie.

"Let's go", she said, wishing more than anything that upon arriving at _Clothes Over Bros'_ she would realize that all their worries were in vain, and would be able to lecture Brooke about scaring them so much…

* * *

The moment that _Clothes Over Bros'_ came into their view, Haley and Nathan realized that Brooke might be in it, but that things were far from being alright. Even from afar the both of them could see that someone had broken into the store, trashed it and broken its glass windows, and they both shivered as they saw the vandalized store and thought about what may have happened to anyone who might have been inside it when the robbery occurred. Nathan's blood boiled in his veins as the thought of someone hurting his dear friend invaded his mind, and the only thing that kept him from pushing the gas pedal even harder so he could reach the wrecked store sooner was the knowledge that Jamie and Haley were in the car with him, and that he couldn't jeopardize their safety.

"Nate…", Haley didn't have to even look at her husband or continue her sentence in order for him to know exactly how she felt as they saw the disarray which the store was in.

"Now you should call the police", Nathan instructed her as he parked the car, his eyes not leaving the sight of the trashed store even for a minute. He was about to exit the car when he sensed Haley and Jamie getting ready to go in with him. Immediately, he turned his eyes away from the store over to Haley and caught her arm in his. "Haley, Jamie- stay in the car!", he told them with an uncompromising tone. "Whoever did this might still be there", he explained to them and watched as Haley's eyes widened with horror and Jamie's with fear, "Just lock the door as soon as I get out of the car and call the police", he ordered them, a sense of urgency evident in his tone.

"Be careful", Haley whispered to him, suppressing a sob with great effort as she was now scared for him as well.

"I'll be fine…", he told her reassuringly and winked at Jamie confidently before racing towards _Clothes Over Bros'_, never in a million years prepared for what he was about to see.

Haley watched over her husband with fear as she saw him sneak into the store through the broken glass window. Her heart almost broke as she suddenly heard sniffles from the backseat and realized just how scared her little boy must be.

"It's going to be alright, Jamie", Haley pulled her son into the front of the car and onto her lap, locking the car's doors afterwards as Nathan had told her to. She felt Jamie clinging onto her in fear as tears streamed down his cheeks, and simply cursed herself for allowing him to join Nathan in the search for Brooke.

"Call the police, momma", Jamie reminded her of his father's request in a pleading sob. Haley kissed the top of his head as she began to soothingly rock him in her arms and pulled her cell-phone out at the same time.

"My name is Haley and I'm right out of my friend's store", she told the officer on the other side of the line as soon as he answered her, "Somebody broke into the store and she might be inside. Please hurry!".

* * *

At the same time that Haley talked to the officer and gave him information about what happened and exactly where she was, Nathan cautiously walked around the trashed store, taking in the mess around him. There were clothes thrown everywhere, shelves and racks were knocked down to the floor and the glass from the broken window was scattered around the floor of the entire store. Nathan walked over to the counter, to see if the cash register had been broken into, and froze in his place. As he suspected, he found the cash register open and emptied on the floor, yet that was not to only thing he had found.

"Fuck!", Nathan yelled in terror as he looked at the beaten up body that lay sprawled out on the floor, blood still trickling out of her mouth and forehead. Even in the darkness of the room, which prevented him from seeing every bruise and cut that had been made to Brooke's body, Nathan realized that things were really bad.

"Brooke!", he knelt down by her side and shook her arm slightly, trying to wake her up, "Come on, Brooke… Open your eyes, baby!", he pleaded with her, not really knowing what to do. Brooke looked so small and fragile that Nathan was truly scared to move her, out of the fear that he would hurt her by doing so. He leaned down near her face and lifted her head towards him a bit, so he could check if she was breathing. Much to his relief, soon he felt soft, yet existent, breaths against his skin. He gently lowered Brooke's head back to the floor, and as he looked at her, his eyes immediately widened with fear. "Damn it!", he cursed as he saw blood beginning to pour more freely out of her mouth now. He realized he shouldn't have moved her at all in her delicate condition, and was now completely helpless as he watched her growing paler and paler as the blood was draining out of her body.

Nathan realized that he might be making the matters worse, but he took the chance and scooped Brooke's body in his arms and began running out of the store as he carried her, as he wasn't willing to just stand by and watch her fade away. He made sure to hold Brooke's head up and sighed in relief as he noticed that it helped slow the bleeding down. As he approached the store's exit and the streetlights illuminated Brooke's figure, he gasped, finally seeing the gravity of her condition.

"Hang in there, Brooke. We're gonna take care of you", Nathan said to Brooke as he tightened his arms around her protectively. He was about to carry Brooke out of the store and towards his car when, much to his relief, he heard the sirens of a police car and an ambulance.

"Thank god…", Nathan mumbled, feeling slightly better as he saw the medical personnel running towards him hurriedly. He entered the ambulance with them after signaling to Haley that she should follow the ambulance with their car. Reluctantly, Nathan let go of Brooke's injured body and lay her down, allowing the doctor and nurses to circle Brooke and connect her to several machines. Not taking his protective gaze off of his dear friend, Nathan shook his head with fury, wondering who could be so cruel to hurt her like that and questioning himself whether he and everybody else have been too caught up in their own problems to realize that Brooke might have needed someone to be there for her. Sighing, he just hoped that when she would wake up, there would be some way to erase the terrible damage done to Brooke's soul.

* * *

**AN: As I promised, this chapter was longer than the last one, and I intend to continue writing chapter at about this length. I hope that all those of you who were saddened by how lonely Brooke felt were somewhat comforted by this chapter...**

**Anyway- I can't wait until Monday to see who found Brooke on the show and how everything will be for Brooke after the attack! I almost cried when I saw the promos for Monday's episode and how banged-up Brooke was, but I'm really excited that Sophia is finally getting an intense storyline in which she can let her wonderful acting abilities shine! She truly deserves that in my opinion! ;-)**


	3. Chapter 3

**I have to say that I was once again amazed by the feedback you guys gave me for the last chapter! I just read your reviews and couldn't bring myself to stop writing until this chapter was ready! It truly motivated me to continue writing, so thanks again to everyone who has reviewed!**

**I seriously can't wait for tonight's episode, and for all of you who are with me- I hope that this chapter will be a good enough alternative, just until we see what happens tonight! ;-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 3**

The sun was starting to light up the sky, introducing a new day to the world, but Brooke's fate was still hazy to her friends. All the worrying and crying had taken their tolls on Haley and Jamie, who had fallen asleep several hours earlier, holding onto each other tightly, yet Nathan was far too concerned to be able to rest. Sitting in the emergency room's waiting area, he looked at his wife and child, who were peacefully sleeping in each other's embrace.

Nathan sent his hand towards Jamie and set it on his back protectively, needing to reassure himself that his little boy was fine, that his little boy was safe. He just couldn't get the images of Brooke's injured body from the ambulance ride out of his head. He felt a brotherly protectiveness over her and seeing her so banged up filled him up with guilt and fear. He felt guilty for not being about to save her from the bastard who beat her up so mercilessly, and he was afraid that the damage done to his beloved friend was beyond repair. As Brooke's bruised face flashed in his mind again, Nathan winced and admitted to himself that he was also afraid that something like that would ever happen to Haley or Jamie, which was something he simply couldn't bear. His heart sank as he realized that while he had a family to look after him, Brooke didn't really have anyone to protect her, like he could protect Jamie and Haley.

Nathan suddenly heard footsteps heading towards the waiting room, which he had been occupying for the past few hours. As he looked into the corridor, his heart began to race upon seeing the doctor that had taken care of Brooke in the ambulance and taken her into the emergency room emerge from its doors.

"How is she?!", as soon as the doctor entered the waiting room, Nathan shot up and tensely questioned him.

"She'll be fine", the doctor sighed exhaustedly, obviously worn out from the long operation he had just finished. "Brooke suffered some internal bleeding, which we have managed to stop, and a minor concussion. Her wrist is fractured and her ribs are badly bruised. Other than that she has shallow stab wounds in various parts of her body and is overall pretty banged up", the doctor explained the condition in which Brooke currently was, caused Nathan's eyes to widen with horror and fill with anger. As the doctor observed that Nathan was simply speechless, he continued, "We will need to keep her here at least until tomorrow, to complete the treatment we are giving her and to simply monitor her condition", he said.

"Is she awake?", Nathan finally found his voice and asked, still feeling his head spinning from the severity of Brooke's condition.

"Brooke was in a lot of pain, so we gave her some sedatives to prevent her from suffering", the doctor replied. As he saw the fallen expression on Nathan's face, he quickly added, "You can go and see her if you would like, though. She keeps regaining and loosing consciousness due to the tranquilizer, and having a friend by her side could help calm her down when she's more alert", he truthfully said.

Nathan casted Haley and Jamie a quick look and then turned back to the doctor, "Just give me a minute", he asked, and the doctor understandingly nodded and took a step back.

Nathan walked up to Haley and, careful not to wake Jamie up, gently shook her shoulder, "Hales… Haley, wake up, baby", he quietly whispered into her ear.

"What's going on?", Haley stirred and asked Nathan, disoriented, slowly opening her eyes.

"You and Jamie should go home, babe. Brooke will only be released tomorrow and you both should get some proper sleep", he caringly said to her, gently caressing Haley's cheek as she slowly regained awareness of where she was and what had happened the previous night. When she fully remembered the events that had brought them to the emergency room, her eyes filled with concern in an instant.

"What did the doctor say?", Haley anxiously asked, tightening her grip on Jamie unconsciously.

"He said that she's awake now and that I can go in and see her", Nathan replied, purposely remaining from telling Haley what the doctor had said about the gravity of Brooke's injuries, knowing that she would be heartbroken and horrified to hear how badly her friend was hurt. "I'm gonna stay here with Brooke, but I want the two of you to go back home", Nathan repeated, looking deeply into Haley's eyes as he spoke. Haley nodded in agreement, bearing Jamie in mind. She knew that the longer she kept her son in the hospital, the more traumatized he would be by the whole situation.

"Take good care of her, Nate", Haley quietly and sadly asked Nathan, rising to her feet carefully with her sleeping son in her arms.

"Drive safely, Hales", he said in response, not wanting to be separated from her and Jamie, but knowing that it was for the best. He pulled Haley to him and kissed her forehead, afterwards giving Jamie's head a quick, gentle stroke. After he watched the two of them walk away, he finally joined the doctor, who quickly led him to Brooke's room, where Nathan would get his heart completely broken…

* * *

"Oh my god…", Nathan gasped as he entered Brooke's hospital room, feeling his throat completely dry in an instant.

"I'll leave you two alone…", the doctor awkwardly said, even though he knew that only one of those present could hear him for sure. He quickly glanced at the machines to which Brooke was connected and then walked out of the room, leaving Nathan just with Brooke.

Nathan remained frozen in the entrance of the room, simply taking in the sight before him. The girl that lay in the hospital bed before him did not resemble Brooke at all, and only now, in the bright room, he could see just how heartlessly the attacker had hurt her. Her face was completely swollen up and covered with colorful bruises and cuts. Her neck was vandalized by stab wounds, which were ruthlessly carved into her pale, delicate skin. Nathan couldn't really see the rest of her body from under the sheet that covered her, but all the tubes snaking out of it suggested that the rest of her body was harmed just as badly. Sighing heavily, Nathan took a seat by Brooke's side and looked at her with sad eyes.

"What has this bastard done to you?", he sorrowfully mumbled as he watched Brooke flinch in her agonized rest. She continued stirring slightly and uttering soft pained moans, which tore Nathan's heart into pieces, until she finally opened her eyes slightly and with great effort, looked at Nathan.

"Hi there…", Nathan tried to force a small, reassuring smile for Brooke's sake. He saw the confusion that was evident on Brooke's features and carefully took her small, bruised hand in his larger, stronger one, squeezing it supportively.

"What happened?", Brooke looked at Nathan with questioning, perplexed eyes and asked, her voice sounding like nothing but a soft whisper.

"You were robbed and attacked in your store, Brooke", he patiently reminded her, watching her frown in confusion as he shared that fact with her. "You don't remember?", he softly asked her, watching her blink as she tried to recall the events of the previous night.

"I don't know…", she slowly replied, sounding more lost with every passing moment. "I just remember giving Angie back to the social worker at the airport and Lucas taking me back home…", she said to Nathan, who sighed in relief as he understood that she only lost a day's worth of memory and not more than that. It was actually better that way, Nathan thought to himself, as he realized that this way Brooke wouldn't remember the brutal way in which she was hurt and beaten up. "How long ago was that?", Brooke suddenly asked nervously and it was only then that Nathan noticed how shaky her soft voice had become and how her bruised lip began to involuntarily quiver. He then understood just how upset and troubled she must be by the whole situation.

"You're only missing a day, Brooke, it's O.K….", he was quick to tell her, and immediately saw some of the fear in her eyes disappear and make way for great exhaustion, which Brooke was now battling to overcome. A single tear managed to slip out of the corner of her eye and slide down her cheek until Nathan gently brushed it away, careful not to apply too much pressure to the bruises that his fingers brushed against.

"Get some rest, Brooke", Nathan gently instructed her, watching her continue to fight her eyelids, which were persistently drooping over her eyes. "It's alright… I'll be here when you'll wake up", he promised her, watching her exhaustion finally win the battle and force her to close her eyes and grow silent.

"I'm gonna keep you safe now, Brooke, I promise…", Nathan swore to Brooke, just as an older brother would swear to protect his younger sister. He didn't know that it would only be a matter of days before he would break that promise and be too busy to notice that Brooke's world was falling apart even more…

* * *

A day had past by. Nathan hadn't moved away from Brooke's side, but even though she woke up a few more times, mostly agitated from the pain, she hadn't spoken another word to him. Nathan could see that she was either too disoriented or simply too caught up in her so-far failing attempts of remembering the events of the day of the attack, and decided against pushing her into talking to him forcefully. Her silence did seem more and more disturbing to Nathan, but he reminded himself that she probably needed some time to overcome the shock of what had happened to her, and therefore just patiently sat by her bed and watched over her.

When the doctor came in to check on Brooke, he told Nathan that she was ready to go home and be on bed-rest, if someone would be able to watch over her and take care of her. Nathan, who had already called Haley up the day before and asked her to set up the guestroom for Brooke, immediately told the doctor that Brooke would be staying with them. The doctor approvingly nodded, signed Brooke's release papers and left them, allowing Nathan to help Brooke get ready to go.

Brooke didn't say a word or protest as Nathan carefully picked up her fragile, damaged body from the bed and sat her down on the hospital's wheelchair. She remained completely silent as he slowly wheeled her through the hospital's corridors over to the parking lot. As they reached Nathan's car, he opened the door to the passenger's side for her and Brooke tried to rise to her feet, finally breaking her silence as she let out a cry of pain and collapsed back into the wheelchair. Nathan felt his body tense in fury as he saw tears of pain forming in her eyes and soon falling down her cheeks. Without saying a word, Nathan gently lifted Brooke from the wheelchair and placed her inside the car. He simply wanted to kill whoever was responsible for Brooke's condition at that moment.

"Are you O.K.?", he knelt down so he could be eye-leveled with Brooke and softly put his hand on top of her shoulder. Her tears didn't cease to fall out of her eyes and he could see how forcefully she was biting her lip, so she won't start to sob, but Brooke finally nodded, her eyes facing away from Nathan's. "I'll be back in one minute, O.K.?", he told Brooke as he placed her bag next to her feet in the passenger's seat, closed her door and rushed to return the wheelchair. He practically ran back to the car, not wanting to leave her alone, in pain, inside his car, but by the time he came back, Brooke was already wearing her oversized sunglasses over her eyes and didn't seem to be crying anymore.

"Brooke?", he looked at her as he seated himself in the driver's seat, but Brooke just limply sat there and didn't reply. Nathan didn't know whether she had fallen asleep or was simply ignoring him, but, not wanting to push her, simply started the engine and started driving towards his house.

Throughout the ride, Nathan glanced at Brooke every few minutes and felt his heart twitch as he noted how lost and lifeless she looked. As breathing was the sole distinct movement he saw her making, she just looked to him like a lump, like an object that had no will or ability to do anything by itself. It was simply the saddest sight he had ever seen. Nathan shook his head as he realized how badly Brooke, the queen of cheerfulness, had to be hurt for her to be so somber and quiet. He really hoped that Haley would be able to get through to her and help her more than him, as he felt completely helpless with her disturbing silence and fragile condition.

Upon finally reaching his house, Nathan rushed over to the passenger's side as he saw Brooke trying, yet again, to rise to her feet on her own.

"Hey… What are you doing?", Nathan asked Brooke softly as he grabbed onto her, seeing her face contort with pain, "Let me help you", he offered. Nathan was about to pick Brooke up in his arms when she shied away from his touch and finally spoke.

"I don't want to scare Jamie…", she quietly said, her voice raspier than usual, yet Nathan fully understood her every word.

"He's at school right now", Nathan reassured Brooke, seeing her body ease some of its tension. "Come on, Brooke- please let me help", he pleaded with Brooke. When she said nothing, yet remained slightly bent-over from the pain, Nathan simply approached her again. Seeing that she didn't object this time, he carefully lifted her up and carried her into the house. Even though her huge sunglasses covered up half of her face, Nathan could still see how her face was contorted in pain, and sighed sadly, wishing he could take away all the hurt that his broken friend was feeling.

As they entered the house, Haley rushed to the door to greet them and became completely speechless as she saw the condition that Brooke was in. She was so shocked, she couldn't find her voice and simply watched Nathan carry Brooke up the stairs over to the guest bedroom. Only when Brooke could no longer see her, Haley let her tears fall, horrified by the violence that Brooke evidently was forced to endure.

A minute later, when Haley finally pulled herself together, she wiped her tears and walked up the stairs as well, wanting to see if she could help Brooke in any way. She found Nathan standing in the entrance to the room, simply looking at Brooke, who was motionlessly lying on the bed. She still had her shades on, so neither one of them could really tell whether her eyes were open or not, but they both decided to let her rest and check on her later.

Seeing Brooke's fragile condition brought tears to Haley's eyes for the second time that day. She forcefully bit her lip and only allowed a sob to slip out of her mouth when she was downstairs, far from Brooke's hearing range. Nathan quickly rushed to take his wife in his arms and held her to him tightly. He hugged her in his strong arms as she cried for Brooke, and knew exactly how she felt. Had he not felt the need to be the strong one in this situation, he would have already let his tears fall a long time ago…

* * *

It was the late afternoon already, and Brooke still hadn't come out of her room. Haley decided to check on her yet again and maybe try to convince her to eat something, as she just lay in bed all day and ate nothing at all. As she reached the guestroom, she found Nathan standing behind the half-closed door and peeking into the room. Haley followed his gaze with her eyes and was met with Brooke, who was now sitting on the windowsill with her back to them and looking at the sun that was setting. She held her cell-phone in her hand, and every few moments would redial a number and bring the phone back up to her ear, clearly never receiving an answer.

"She's been like that for a while now…", Nathan quietly told his wife with concern. Brooke looked so fragile to him that he was simply afraid to enter the room and cause her ever more harm.

Haley took a deep breath and entered the room quietly, feeling Nathan follow closely behind her. "Hey sweetie…", she said to Brooke softly, causing Brooke to jump in surprise and slight panic. She turned to look at Haley, whose eyes widened as she now saw Brooke's face, now uncovered by sunglasses, and noted how horribly beaten up it was. Her left eye was so black and swollen, that Brooke couldn't even open it all the way, her cheekbone and forehead were extremely swollen and bruised as well and her entire facial skin was covered with cuts and black-and-blue marks. Brooke noticed the way that Haley was staring at her and self-consciously lifted her sunglasses from her lap and up to her face. Haley sadly looked at Brooke as she covered herself back behind her shades. It simply broke her heart.

"How do you feel, honey?", Haley caringly asked Brooke as she pulled a chair up to the windowsill and sat down, facing her.

"Like a monster", Brooke replied under her breath, but Haley and Nathan heard what she said and were shocked and infuriated that Brooke would feel that way.

"You're not a monster, Brooke", Nathan assertively told her, but his words only caused Brooke to look away from him and turn her head back towards the window. She knew that he was lying. She felt terrible, and knew that she must also look terrible with how swollen and aching her body felt. She was unable to carry her body over to the mirror in the bathroom, but she knew that she looked like a monster with the swollen eye she had and all the marks, bruises and cuts that filled her body.

"Sweetie, you don't look anything like a monster", Haley put her hand on Brooke's shoulder, but Brooke didn't reply. Sighing, Haley tried a new tactic, "Maybe you'll feel better if you ate something. Jamie has been waiting for you to wake up so he could eat dinner with you", Haley told Brooke, hoping that the thought of the little boy Brooke loved so dearly could cheer Brooke up a little, but Brooke just shook her head in response.

"I don't want him to see me like this", Brooke quietly replied, the pain evident in her hoarse voice.

Haley just looked at Brooke worriedly, thinking of a way to somehow get through to her. Finally, she placed her hand over Brooke's hand and asked her, "Who are you trying to call?".

"Peyton and Lucas. Neither one of them will answer my calls", Brooke replied softly, and Haley and Nathan's hearts simply broke for her. Haley understood that she had to remind her of their revelation from the previous day, that Peyton and Lucas might have left Tree Hill together, and Nathan realized that even though Brooke needed someone to be there for her, it wasn't him, but either her best friend or his own brother, who had been through so much with her.

"Sweetie… The other day you and I got identical messages from both of them, don't you remember?", she gently asked Brooke, seeing Brooke's body tense up in an instant as she finally did remember everything that had happened on the day of the attack. She remembered saying goodbye to Mouth and sending Millicent to go along with him, she remembered faking her enthusiasm while her heart was actually breaking as she and Haley discovered that Lucas and Peyton must have gone away together, she remembered confronting her mother about _Clothes over Bros' _and bracing herself for the fight she was about to have against her regarding the ownership of her company, and finally, she remembered feeling her world falling apart as a stranger entered her store and violently hit her until she lost consciousness. Once again, Brooke felt like she was all alone in the world, and wished she would have never woken up…

* * *

**AN: I hope you guys enjoyed this! Next time you will see why Lucas and Peyton didn't answer Brooke and how she's dealing with everything in her life. I would truly love to hear what you guys thought about this chapter! ;-)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi guys! I absolutely love you for your reviews, and once again- I worked really hard to get this ready for you as soon as I possibly could!**

**I know I promised that this chapter will explain why Pucas haven't been answering Brooke, but as this chapter turned longer than I expected it to, the Pucas scene will have to wait until next time... Please except my apologies... ;-)**

**Anyway, this is it, so enjoy and if you do (or have any suggestions)- do tell me! ;-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 4**

The bright rays of sun slipped through the window and tickled Haley's eyelashes, causing her to squint her eyes and groan. She knew that in a few minutes, she would have to start her daily morning routine, which consisted of waking Jamie up, getting herself prepared to go to work and making some lunch for Jamie to take to school, but she wished she could just stay in bed with Nathan forever. She felt so calm and safe, lying in her husband's arms, that she just wanted to forget about the outside world and stay cuddled with him for hours.

As the doorbell rang, Haley sighed, realizing that her moment of serenity was over, and that the outside world was literally waiting for her at her doorstep. She quietly stepped out of her bed, put a robe on and tip-toed out of the room, careful not to wake Nathan up. As she glanced at the hallway clock, she frowned, realizing that it wasn't even 7AM yet. She really couldn't think of who would stop by at such an early hour.

Haley opened the door and studied the unfamiliar man that faced her. He was a tall, middle-aged man, who looked pretty impressive, wearing a black designer suit. Haley uncomfortably tried to straighten out her worn-out robe, suddenly feeling uncomfortable in the unpresentable way she chose to open the door.

"How may I help you?", she finally asked, running her hand through her uncombed hair, trying to tidy it up slightly.

"I am truly sorry for intruding in such an early hour, but I understand that Brooke Davis is staying at your house", the man formally said to Haley.

"Well- yes… But she's sleeping right now", Haley replied automatically, suddenly frowning as she realized she didn't know what this man's relation to Brooke was, or how he even knew she was staying at her house.

"I'm sorry- you are…?", Haley's gaze sharpened as she asked him, crossing her arms over her chest.

"George Morris… I'm the head of the board of _Clothes over Bros'_", he quickly explained, causing Haley's expression to soften.

"Oh… Well, it's nice to meet you… Would you like to come in and wait until Brooke wakes up?", Haley offered politely.

"I actually have some business to run before I catch a flight back to New-York later today, but would you please give her this", George handed Haley a sealed envelope.

"Sure…", Haley replied, looking at the envelope curiously, "Anything else?", Haley questioned.

"Tell her to give me a call after she reads the letter", George asked, sounding somewhat awkward now. Haley nodded, yet continued to look at him hesitantly until George hid his discomfort behind a professional smile, "Thank you very much, and again- I'm truly sorry about the interruption", he apologized.

"It's alright… Goodbye!", Haley replied and watched George as he walked back to his car and drove off. As soon as he was out of view, Haley closed the door and walked back into the warmth of her house. She glanced at the envelope and, realizing that she still had some spare time left until she would have to wake Jamie up, Haley decided to go check on Brooke. She realized that her friend must still be in a deep sleep, but just wanted to make sure that she wasn't in pain and didn't need anything.

Haley quickly reached the guestroom and without making a sound, gently pushed its door open. Her eyes widened in alarm as she realized that the bed was empty, but upon pushing the door open further, her eyes landed on Brooke sitting once again by the window, much to her relief.

"Hey… You're awake…", Haley softly said, surprise and concern evident in her voice. Brooke turned around to face her and immediately picked her sunglasses again, wanting to conceal her damaged face, as she had done the day before.

"Don't hide yourself from me", in an instant, Haley was by Brooke's side, holding her hand away from her face. She sadly looked at Brooke, who caved under the pressure Haley applied to her hand and simply sat there, letting her hands fall to her lap and looking completely defeated and lost.

"Did you have trouble falling asleep, honey?", Haley gently squeezed Brooke's hands as she spoke to her, wanting to convey her care and concern.

"No", Brooke simply replied in her soft, raspy voice, letting her eyes fall into space. It was clear that her answer wasn't true. Haley's heart broke as she looked at her friend, not recognizing even a hint of the strong, lively woman she knew in the lost, helpless girl that faced her.

"Come on", she stroked Brooke's hair delicately, feeling like she needed to take care of Brooke as though she was merely a child, "I'll help you get downstairs and we can eat breakfast together", Haley proposed. She got up and was about to wrap her arm around Brooke's shoulders and help her up to her feet, when Brooke finally looked up at Haley and spoke.

"Actually… I was thinking that maybe I should go home today", Brooke quietly said, her voice sounding so faint and gentle, that Haley was afraid that she was about to break.

"Sweetie, you're supposed to be on bed rest this week…", Haley reminded her patiently. She could tell that Brooke felt as though she was imposing, so she softly added, "Let us take care of you, Brooke. Please…".

Brooke didn't reply. She simply let her eyes slip to the floor, away from Haley's. Even though she knew she could barely move on her own, Brooke hated burdening her friends. She felt as though Haley and Nathan had done enough and feared that Jamie would be traumatized by the sight of her so banged up and fragile, that she wanted to get out of their house and back to her home, even if it meant that she would be even more alone than she was at the moment.

"Brooke?", Haley's worried voice caused Brooke to snap out of her thoughts. She lifted her eyes up to look at Haley and suddenly spotted the envelope that she held in her hand.

"What's that?", Brooke raspily asked, staring at the envelope with blank eyes.

"Oh…", Haley only then remembered the existence of the letter she held and immediately gave it to Brooke. "The head of your executive board- George, was here earlier. He wanted me to give this to you", Haley explained as Brooke struggled to open the envelope with her shaking hands. "Here, let me…", Haley gently took the envelope out of Brooke's hands and opened it for her, handing her the letter immediately after she pulled it out.

"Is everything O.K.?", Haley asked with concern after a few moments, as she saw Brooke's face pale and fill with mixed emotions. "Brooke?", now truly worried, Haley seated herself by Brooke's side and put a hand on her shoulder. "Is everything alright with your company?", Haley tried again, gently stroking Brooke's fragile shoulder. Brooke remained silent as she finished reading the letter, afterwards letting it drop to her lap. Several moments later, when she finally spoke, her voice was truly shaky and broken.

"The company is fine…", she told Haley, who bit her lip as she saw tears forming in Brooke's eyes, "They're suspending me from running it…", Brooke's soft voice cracked on the last word, and Haley felt her heart breaking and her jaw tightening at the same time.

"What?! They can't do that!", Haley exclaimed in outrage, "Brooke, this is your company. Who's going to run it if you don't?", she asked in bewilderment. Brooke took a minute to push her emotions down. Her company was the last thing she was holding onto. Throughout the night, as she tossed in pain and agony in the bed, unable to fall asleep, Brooke forced herself to think about her presentation to the board with her new sketches. _Clothes over Bros' _was all that kept her from crying out in pain at night, and now that it was taken away from her too, she felt as though she truly had nothing left in the world. Still, she gracefully pulled herself together, as much as she could, and gave Haley the answer to her question.

"Victoria".

"What?!", Haley yelled in shock and disapproval. Just as she was about to tell Brooke exactly what she thought about her manipulative, self-centered mother, the phone rang, causing Haley to groan in irritation.

"Hold on a minute, tigger", she asked Brooke as she left the room to answer the phone.

Alone again, Brooke shakily sighed and forced herself to rise to her feet, wincing from the piercing pain that sailed through her body with every move she made. With great effort, she made her way towards the bed and started collecting her belongings, gasping at the pain that overtook her every time she bent down. When she was finally all packed up, Brooke put her sunglasses on and with great effort, lifted her bag, forcefully biting her lip and closing her eyes so not to let out the sob that threatened to escape her mouth. Her body hurt like hell, but she wasn't going to give in to the pain. She needed to leave Haley and Nathan's house and get her company back, and she didn't care how much pain she would have to endure in the process. She was Brooke Davis, and Brooke Davis was a fighter.

As she slowly limped towards the exit of her room, Brooke heard Haley talking to Nathan in a stressed, emotional tone and before she could even cross the hallway, both of them appeared out of their bedroom, rushing towards the stairs with Jamie, sleeping in Nathan's arms. Brooke studied them, realizing that Nathan looked like he had just gotten out of bed, and Haley- as though she simply threw the first clothes she found on herself.

"What happened?", Brooke quietly and softly asked, looking at them through her shades and capturing Nathan's attention.

"Quentin Fields, a kid who was in Haley's class, was shot last night", he told Brooke in a rush, not even noticing that she was carrying her bag or that her legs were beginning to shake from the pain she felt.

"Is he O.K.?", Brooke's raspy voice began to tremble from the pain she was in, but Nathan and Haley were so overwhelmed by the news they just heard, they didn't observe that.

"He died…", Nathan hastily replied, handing Jamie over to Haley so she could already get him settled in the car and turning his partial attention to Brooke. "Listen, I'll be back as soon as I can. I need to go to the school with Haley to talk to the principle and then notify Quentin's team members on what happened. Try to get some rest until I'm back, and if you need me, just call, alright?", Nathan's care was evident even in the terse way that he spoke.

"You don't need to babysit me, Nate. I'll be fine", Brooke lied through a forced smile. She could already feel how standing on her feet for merely several minutes was taking its toll on her and, squinting her eyes behind her sunglasses, she leaned on the wall for support.

"I'm not babysitting you, I care about you", Nathan wanted to set the matter straight. If he didn't have to hurry to help the guidance councilors deal with Quentin's friends and help Haley with Jamie, who had grown so attached to the basketball star, he wouldn't have left Brooke for anything. Sighing as he noted how Brooke was biting her lip, clearly out of pain, he quickly came up to her and held up her bent over body.

"There is plenty of food in the refrigerator. Let me take you downstairs so you can eat something", Nathan offered. Seeing that Brooke didn't protest, he scooped her up and hurriedly carried her down the stairs. Setting her securely on the floor downstairs, Nathan took one last look at Brooke. "Are you gonna be alright? Do you want to come with us?", only now did Brooke suddenly seem so vulnerable and fragile to Nathan once more, that he, again, felt uneasy about leaving her alone. Not realizing that Brooke was wearing her sunglasses and holding her bag in her hand, Nathan couldn't understand why, but he felt as though he was loosing Brooke, as if she was slipping away. He was about to lead Brooke to the car with him, feeling uncomfortable to leave her alone, when Brooke gently shook her head.

"I'll be fine", she promised him in her shaky, raspy voice. As Nathan looked at her with uncertainty, still not convinced that she should be left behind, Brooke quietly added, "You're a good friend, Nate". Nathan smiled at her sadly and suddenly heard Haley honking the horn of their car. Reluctantly, he walked out of the house, feeling as though a rock was weighting down his heart, as for some reason, he felt as though Brooke had just bid him goodbye…

* * *

It took Brooke seven agonizing minutes to walk from Nathan and Haley's kitchen to her car, which Nathan had brought over to the driveway of their house the day before. When she finally seated herself in the vehicle, she was unable to help but let a few tears fall down her cheeks as she admitted how much pain she was in. She took a few deep breaths, calming herself down and then turned the engine on and drove over to her shop.

Brooke shuddered as the wrecked store came into view. She felt terrified as she looked at the place where she was so brutally beaten up, but she forced herself to hold back the tears that threatened to slip out of her eyes. She wouldn't allow herself to break, even though all she wanted to do was curl up in a ball and cry her heart out. She was Brooke Davis, and Brooke Davis was strong.

Using all the strength she had left in her fragile body, Brooke forced herself up to her feet and took tiny steps towards the store, squinting her eyes and biting her lower lip in agony with every small step. By the time she reached the store's shattered door and walked inside, the pain was so great that her body had become numb and her head began spinning. Brooke silently cursed as she looked around herself in panic, trying to find something she could hold onto before she would hit the floor. Having no luck, she closed her eyes, preparing herself for the greater pain she was about to feel as her fragile body would collide with the floor. Her panic increased even more when, instead of the hard floor, she felt a pair of strong arms grabbing onto her and quickly lifting her up. As images and sensations from the night of the attack filled her up, Brooke screamed, her hoarse voice straining itself to the loudest volume she could reach. She couldn't believe that the horrible nightmare she went through was repeating itself, and even though she was hurting all over, she tried to push off the strong man that held onto her. Only when she realized that several minutes passed and he wasn't beating her up, but seating her down safely instead, did she notice that he had been calling out her name.

"Brooke!", as he worriedly called her out again, Brooke suddenly realized that the man's voice sounded familiar. She cautiously opened her eyes and sighed in enormous relief as she saw George looking at her with fearful eyes and holding her arms securely. "Are you alright?", he anxiously asked Brooke as she stilled her struggle against him and just sat unmoving before him. All that Brooke could do in response was nod, feeling shock-waves of pain coursing through her body. George disappeared for a moment, returning with a glass of water shortly.

"Here", he handed the glass to Brooke, who took it in her shaking hands and brought it to her mouth.

"Are you O.K., Brooke?", George asked with concern once again as Brooke placed the glass down after calming down a bit.

"Yeah... I'm sorry…", Brooke said in a little, soft voice, trying to get up from the couch, where George seated her, but collapsing back to it as George pulled her down.

"Look, Brooke. I know you must be upset right now, but since you're here, I want us to talk", he said. Even though she was wearing her huge sunglasses, George could see how Brooke's features tightened, hiding her vulnerability behind walls of anger.

"I think you made yourself pretty clear in that letter of yours", she snapped at him bitterly, causing George to sigh uncomfortably.

"This is just temporary", he tried to reason with Brooke, but as she remained unmoved, emotionally and literally, he elaborated, "Brooke, we've all seen how much stress you have been under lately with the baby you took care of. We just want you to take a few months for yourself and then we'll see where we're going, alright?", he tried.

"This is _my_ company", Brooke said. She didn't raise her hoarse voice the slightest bit, but George could distinctly hear the anger and hurt building up inside her.

"I know", he told her, looking at her with sorrowful eyes. He actually wanted to keep Brooke as the manager, but in the board meeting, which was held, very conveniently, on the day after Brooke was attacked, Victoria made some convincing points about places where Brooke's lack of experience failed her. Brooke, who, unbeknownced to him, hadn't been notified of the meeting and of course, didn't attend it, hadn't been able to fend for herself, resulting in the board being convinced by Victoria's speech and handing her the role of managing the company.

"_I_ started _Clothes over Bros'_. This is _my_ life!", Brooke gritted her teeth as she spoke, her tone growing harsh, even though her voice remained quiet.

"Brooke, give yourself time to rest. We'll talk about this again four months from now", George tried to calm her down, but Brooke was only getting more worked up.

"I have done _nothing_ to deserve this, George! I was the one who landed us the huge deal with Macy's! I was the one who started _Baby Brooke_!", Brooke exclaimed, her emotions rapidly rising and erasing her usual graceful façade. George sighed as he looked at Brooke. Seeing her like this, he had to agree with Victoria, who claimed that Brooke was too emotional to manage a big company like _Clothes over Bros'_.

"I know, Brooke, but you also postponed presenting your designs to us for two entire weeks when you were taking care of that baby, so what am I supposed to think?", he asked her sincerely, trying to make her understand him, but only causing Brooke's throat to burn with hurt. "And then, yesterday, after the baby is no longer here, you miss _another_ board meeting, Brooke…", he told her disappointedly, but closed his mouth as Brooke abruptly rose to her feet with rage.

"Do you want to know why I missed the meeting yesterday, _George_?", she asked him with resentment, practically spitting out his name. Her body sent a bolt of pain through her, but Brooke was far too upset to cave in to the pain. "The store was robbed two nights ago", she told him, raising her voice for the first time since the beginning of their conversation. "Contrary to what you may have thought, _I_ did not make this mess! I wasn't the one who threw all the clothes to the floor!", Brooke yelled, starting to toss the few particles of clothing that actually remained in place towards the shattered window. George looked at her with shock as she lost control of herself and basically proved right exactly what Victoria had said about her. Much to his astonishment, Brooke only continued in her destructive actions, moving over to the one standing rack and knocking it down. "I did not take all the money in the register and I sure as hell wasn't the one you punched myself in the face!", Brooke upsetedly said, finally revealing her face from under her huge shades. George froze in his place as he took in Brooke's bruised face and sadly watched her as she continued loosing any grace she made have been able to maintain so far. "So when you guys held your meeting, which, by the way, no one cared to inform me about, I was lying in the hospital, unable to move. In any other condition I would have been glad to attend. Now may I have my company back?", Brooke childishly asked George, who just sadly sighed and began approaching her after she finally finished her speech and path of destruction.

"Brooke…", he pronounced her name with such concern that Brooke's vulnerability immediately rose over her fury and caused her to look at him with hurt eyes. George sighed as he reached the broken woman that stood before him and put his hand on her shoulder. He truly felt bad for her, but he was about to do what he knew needed to be done.

"I think that you and I both know that you can't do this right now", he told her softly, seeing the shame and hurt blend inside the tears that filled her eyes. "I want you to take a long vacation now, O.K.? Take time to think about what you really want in life and just rest up", he spoke to her gently, as one would speak to a young child, "I promise to forget about what happened here and take good care of the company while you're gone. We'll talk when you're better, alright?", he carefully said to her, watching Brooke shift her eyes to the floor as a few tears managed to slip out of her eyes and onto her cheeks. He could see how much pain Brooke was in, both mentally and physically, and couldn't help but tell her, "I am truly sorry about what happened to you, Brooke, and you have to know that I really didn't want to do this…", he truthfully said, yet Brooke shook his hand off of her shoulder and slowly walked over to the couch, wordlessly lifting her bag and putting her sunglasses back on. "Do you need me to take you home, Brooke? It's the least I can do…", he awkwardly offered, truly feeling bad for her. Brooke just shook her head softly, turning around to face him as she reached the entrance of the store.

"No thank you, George. I'll see you in four months", her voice was so formal and held together that George couldn't believe that this was the same woman who was loosing control before him merely moments earlier. He sorrowfully watched Brooke's retreating form as she slowly limped over to her car and drove off in grace, but didn't see her as she parked the car around the corner, two blocks ahead and burst out crying, so loudly that her throat was beginning to ache. Her body wracked as she sobbed, finally letting out everything she held back so bravely since the attack. Her sobs of hurt were blending with sobs of physical pain as Brooke continued to violently cry, feeling so lost she didn't know what to do.

Panting heavily through her tears, Brooke rummaged through the items in her purse, pulling out her cell-phone with her trembling hands. She shakily dialed Peyton's phone number once more, needing to hear her best friend's voice, and went into another fit of sobs as she reached the answering machine yet again. She sat there alone in her car, with a black eye and an aching body, and just wept, not knowing what else to do.

As George's suggestion about going on vacation echoed in her head, Brooke found herself turning the engine of the car on and driving to the airport, crying uncontrollably throughout the entire drive. She didn't know where she was about to go, but she wanted to leave Tree Hill and just forget everything. She had no reason to stay anyway- no friends to whom she could turn, no job to which she needed to wake up in the morning, no one to love or be loved by…

Catching a glimpse of her own reflection in the rear-view mirror as she parked her car in the airport's parking lot, Brooke gasped loudly. She was still Brooke Davis, but now, Brooke Davis was broken…

* * *

**AN: I don't know what about you guys, but I LOVED Brooke's scenes on Monday's episode! Sophia was incredible, as I knew she would be! She looked so fragile I wanted to just go over to her and give her a big hug... But Peyton was seriously such an idiot! I haven't decided whether she's more retarded or self-centered for believing Brooke's excuse for how she hurt herself... Oh well... Anyway- I can't wait until Monday, even though I have a feeling that with Quentin's death, Brooke will be shoved into the sideline of the episode. I hope I'm wrong...**

**Anyway, I hope you guys are still enjoying my version of how things go... This is all for now! ;-)**


	5. Chapter 5

**First of all- I truly apologize for not updating sooner! Life sort of got in the way and this upcoming week is about to be busy as well, but I worked really hard to get this chapter ready for you, so I really hope it's worth the wait! Your responses definitely pushed me to finish writing this as soon as I could so I'm really grateful for each and every one of you who has reviewed, as it definitely helped motivate me to write! I apologize in advance for the amount of Pucas in this chapter... Trust me- as hard as it will be for you to read these scenes- it won't be as hard as it was for me to write them, but they are needed for the progression of this story, so I didn't really have a choice... ;-) Enjoy!**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 5**

Peyton smiled to herself as she listened to the sound of Lucas humming to himself in the shower during the afternoon break they decided to take in their room before going out again at night. Their vacation so far was almost perfect. From the moment Peyton confiscated and shut off both of their cell-phones, Peyton simply felt as though she was on cloud nine, like there was nobody else in the world but them.

Peyton frowned as she thought back to the one incident which tainted their otherwise heavenly week, when Lucas, upon rising from his sleep on the day before, was once again fixated on calling Brooke. Peyton had been infuriated with his constant talk of her best friend and his ex-girlfriend, so much that she threatened to call off their engagement and return to Tree Hill alone if he wouldn't turn his cell-phone off and start focusing exclusively on her. Right now, however, as she sat on their hotel bed alone, she suddenly began to feel bad. Peyton saw Brooke as a strong, independent person, but her conscience began to bother her as she wondered whether there was actually a possibility that Brooke did need someone, with Angie being gone.

Peyton tried to shake the thought away, yet as an image of Brooke holding back tears as she waited for Angie's operation to end invaded her mind, Peyton decided to check her cell-phone for any missed calls from the brunette. A blank call-log, which was what Peyton was almost certain she would find, would definitely make her fell better and allow her to enjoy the rest of her vacation with Lucas.

As Peyton turned her phone on, he face fell, along with her heart- _12 missed calls_. Searching through the history of calls received, Peyton's face paled even more, as she learned that all 12 calls were from Brooke. She knew that Brooke wouldn't call her so many times without any reason, and even though Peyton realized that Brooke might just be worried about her, as she hadn't returned home for several days, she realized that checking up on her best friend, as Lucas had suggested, was indeed necessary.

After dialing the home number she still shared with her best friend, Peyton began to grow panicked upon reaching their answering machine. Her heart began to race as the thought of Brooke needing her help yet unable to reach her filled her mind. Peyton frantically began dialing her best friend's cell-phone number, but dropped her phone to the floor as a result of her frenzy.

"Damn it!", Peyton cursed as she picked her phone up and found that it was no longer working. Not loosing her senses, she dug Lucas' cell-phone out of her suitcase, where she hid it from him, and pressed its power button, anxious to reach her best friend and see what was going on with her already.

As Lucas' phone's screen lit up, Peyton nervously tapped on her knee with her free hand, trying to fight her impatience with the machine's slow pace. She let out a tense breath she didn't even realize she was holding as Lucas' screensaver- a picture of Karen and Lilly smiling, finally filled up the phone's screen, but froze, just seconds before she began dialing Brooke's phone number, as her new fiancée's call-log appeared too- _6 missed calls_.

Anger and jealousy filled up Peyton as she nosily entered Lucas' call history. She knew that it was wrong to feel the way she was feeling, especially when she should be concerned about her best friend with whom something was obviously wrong, but whenever it came to Lucas, she could never really fight her instinctive defensive and possessive feelings. Whenever it came to Lucas, she couldn't help but be willing to fight and hurt whoever would come in their way.

When Lucas' list of missed calls came into view, Peyton studied it intently. Just as her tension and anger began to ease, upon finding Haley and Nathan's names, and then Skills' name on the top of the list, Peyton felt her blood freeze in her veins. Undeniably listed before her, one after another, were four missed calls from her one and only best friend. Instead of hearing alarming bells, becoming panicked and beginning to truly worry about Brooke's wellbeing, Peyton just sat in her place in shock. She felt her fury, irritation and defensiveness build up inside her as she stared at Lucas' missed calls from "Cheery", the codename he used for their famous designer friend in his phonebook, wanting to protect her privacy in case his phone would be stolen. It truly angered Peyton that now, when she was finally happy with Lucas again, Brooke was threatening to get in her way of being happy.

Suddenly filled by guilt for her self-centered thoughts, Peyton told herself that she shouldn't automatically look at Brooke's attempts to talk to Lucas as a declaration of war over Lucas' heart, but that she should find out what was the real motive behind the calls- just a friendly call to say hi and check on him, maybe the need to receive some advise, or perhaps even a cry for help. As the curiosity ate at Peyton, she shook her head, trying to rid herself of all the thoughts that that filled her mind, and decided to just call Brooke up, like she had originally planned, and check what was really going on.

Just as Peyton was about to exit Lucas' call log, the bathroom door swung open, revealing a newly-cleaned and wet-haired Lucas, and completely startling Peyton, causing her to freeze and look at Lucas with nervous eyes.

"Hey! I thought you said no cell-phones until we get back to Tree Hill!", Lucas smiled as he reminded her in a light tone.

"Yeah… Well… I couldn't help myself…", Peyton stuttered, giving Lucas an uneasy smile. Lucas chuckled, thinking that Peyton's nervousness was simply derived from the fact that he had caught her breaking her own rules.

"Did you at least have a good conversation?", Lucas asked Peyton, still grinning.

"With who?", Peyton confusedly questioned, still slightly detached from Lucas and caught up in her own thoughts.

"Brooke, or whoever it is you were talking to…", Lucas innocently replied, gesturing towards the phone in Peyton's hand.

"Why the hell do you think that I was talking to Brooke?", this time, it was Lucas' turn to become startled, as Peyton squinted her eyes and angrily snapped at him. All the concern that she felt for Brooke flew out the window and was replaced with envy and fury as she heard Lucas mention Brooke's name. She glared at Lucas, who simply looked at her with genuine surprise, not understanding what he had done wrong this time to cause her sudden change of mood.

"Why are you yelling at me, Peyton?", Lucas asked, taken aback by Peyton's harsh response to his harmless question.

"I thought you made up your mind regarding who you want to be with, Luke, but ever since we arrived in Vegas, you won't stop talking about Brooke!", Peyton angrily told him what was bothering her, causing Lucas to stare at her with a frown.

"I did make up my mind, Peyton, but Brooke is a part of our lives! She's my friend and your best friend, so you can't be upset every time I mention her name…", Lucas rationally said to Peyton, not willing to give up his friendship with Brooke, and causing Peyton to frown and then turn away from him. Lucas sighed and then approached her, just wanting to make peace with the girl he chose to spend his future with.

"Look, Peyton- I don't want to fight…", he told her in a pleading tone, truly wanting to put this argument behind the two of them.

"Then how about you start focusing on us, Luke, and not on my best friend!", Peyton insecurely and demandingly yelled at Lucas.

"I am focusing on us, Pey!", Lucas raised his voice slightly, defending himself, as he grew annoyed with Peyton's accusations, "All I meant was that I thought you might have wanted to check on Brooke after she gave Angie away and see if she needed her best friend- that's all!", he told her.

Peyton knew that he was right. She knew that if it would have been the other way around, Brooke wouldn't have left her side for as long as it would have taken for her to be alright and would have offered her all the support she could give. She felt pretty bad about still focusing on her own feelings, yet it was as if an outer force took over her every time Lucas would speak about Brooke with such care.

"Oh, so now I'm a lousy best friend?", was what she automatically replied, infuriated that Lucas was taking the time to worry about Brooke when she had strictly told him how much it bothered her. Peyton wanted him to have nothing on his mind but her, just her.

"I didn't say that…", Lucas wearily sighed, wishing that Peyton would stop trying to pick a fight already. "Look, has Brooke called us or anything?", he asked.

"No…", the lie slipped out of Peyton's mouth before she could even think as she felt her fingers move over Lucas' phone's keys and delete his call-log, as if they had a mind of their own. She felt like a horrible friend the moment she had lied to Lucas, but she realized that if Lucas would find out just how desperately Brooke had been looking for the both of them, he would become even more worried and focused on Brooke, and she really could bear to see that happening.

"Alright, then I'm sure everything's fine with her", Lucas said, sounding more at ease now and speaking in a light tone, trying to cheer Peyton up. "Come on… Let's check the stores downstairs and start focusing on us again, alright?", he smiled at her, wanting to make peace and looking so adorable in that moment that Peyton's lips finally curled up in a smile as well. She nodded and took his hand, grabbing her purse and stuffing Lucas' phone into it before they both left the room.

Once she would return to Tree Hill, Peyton made a mental note to make it up to Brooke for not being there for her, but right now, she was going to enjoy her time with Lucas, and forget about the rest of the world, even about her best friend…

* * *

By the time Brooke stepped out of the airport and got into a cab in the new city she arrived in, it was afternoon already and she was amazed that she had managed to stay standing on her frail feet until that point. Sitting silently in the back seat of the cab with her purse pressed tightly to her chest, she pushed her sunglasses up her nose and let out a soft sigh. She could no longer deny her pain, both physical and emotional, and she was truly hoping that this dynamic city could take at least some of it away and make her forget everything.

Brooke hadn't really planned where she wanted to go, as she was in such an emotional state upon arriving at the airport, but when she was told that the next flight leaving from Tree Hill Airport was destined to land in Las Vegas, she actually felt better. She actually believed that this magical, unknown city, with all of its games and illusions, might ease and numb at least some of her sorrows. Even if it wouldn't, Brooke thought to herself as she looked out the window of her cab, at least she wouldn't have to face the painful reminders that every familiar face or object filled her mind with. She could quietly take her time to heal, to get back to being the strong and perky Brooke Davis that everybody knew and loved, at least on the outside…

As the Bellagio resort came into view, Brooke nodded to herself and directed the cab driver to its entrance. The luxurious hotel, casinos and attractions all packed up in this place seemed to be the cure Brooke was looking for. She could just get lost in its inviting lights and pretend that all the bad things that had recently happened to her belonged to someone else's life. She would just have to stay there long enough for her bruises to heal and for her soul to become strong enough to make it convincing when she would walk around and tell whoever would ask her that she was perfectly fine.

Brooke winced and bit her lower lip as she stepped out of the cab back to her aching feet after paying the driver. She slowly walked into the grand hotel, fighting against her wobbly feet with every shaky step she took. She knew that she should probably get herself a room and give her body its much needed rest, but the more she felt her body soaking in pain, the more she felt her emotions rising, and the more she felt her tears burning her throat- the more determined she was to blend with all the happy people she saw coming from the casino area and pretend that nothing was wrong with her, that she was just as happy as any other visitor of the resort.

Blindly ignoring her body's warning signs, Brooke made her way over to the casino, taking small and cautious steps. She paused as a wave of more piercing pain sailed through her body and let out a soft cry of pain, which was muffled by the happy sounds of people laughing and talking, and the loud beating music that filled the casino. Nobody noticed as Brooke slightly bent over and bit her lip, trying to ride out the wave of unbearable pain, and instead of being comforted by the fact that the outside world didn't observe her vulnerability, as she would usually be, Brooke suddenly began to panic. As numerous people brushed past her, circling her in every direction, the bright lights flashed in her eyes and the loud music rang in her ears, Brooke felt herself struggling for air. She felt lost and terrified, standing in the middle of the mass of people, but actually being more alone than she ever felt in her life.

As more intense pain radiated from her ribcage, stomach and head, Brooke couldn't help but let a few tears slide down her cheeks under her sunglasses. She realized beyond doubt that she needed someone to help her, that she could no longer face everything on her own and pretend to be alright. She somehow managed to pull her cell-phone out of her bag and to dial the first number that came to mind, all the while concentrating on evening out her sharp and uneasily taken breaths.

Brooke brought the phone to her ear and as she heard the dial tone from the receiver, she suddenly heard the sound of a near-by person's cell-phone ringing as well. She lifted her eyes over to the source of the ringing and gasped, her eyes meeting none other than her best friend and Lucas Scott, the exact person she was trying to call and ask to be saved by.

Brooke froze in her place and felt her heart beating wildly in her chest as though it might explode any minute. The sight of her best friend together with the only boy she had ever loved hurt more than anything she endured in the past few days. It felt like her heart was breaking all over again, just like it had during both times she and Lucas had broken up in high-school. Even though she strongly suspected that Peyton and Lucas had fled together, she didn't really want to believe it, as she and Lucas had gotten so close to each other when Angie was around, and seeing him and Peyton standing hand in hand before her finally made her suspicion a reality and made her realize that she could no longer depend on Lucas to save her. She had officially lost him to her best friend.

Forgetting that she was holding a ringing phone in her hand, Brooke just remained glued to her spot, staring at the couple and feeling the inside of her body burn with hurt. Just as she thought that matters couldn't get any worse, she saw Peyton pulling the ringing cell-phone out of her purse and shutting it off shortly after looking at the screen. Brooke stared at her with disbelief and hurt, realizing that her "best friend" had just chosen to ignore her call, as she must have been doing those past few days. She was too shocked to move and too heartbroken to cry and could only look at the two people she would have given anything in the world for and scold herself for being so stupid to believe that they would have done the same for her. After all, she was Brooke Davis, and at the end of the day, Brooke Davis was always left alone…

Brooke could distantly hear Lucas' voice asking Peyton about the identity of the caller and Peyton saying something about an unidentified number. Brooke felt herself fill with shame and pain, as she realized that she should have learned by now that when Lucas was around, she meant absolutely nothing to Peyton. She was just about to turn around and get herself a room, feeling the pain of her broken body beginning to take its toll on her, when Lucas' piercing blue eyes were met with her sunglass-covered ones. She could undoubtedly tell that he recognized her despite her slightly disguised appearance from the second his eyes lay on her, as his expression immediately changed to a worried and intrigued frown.

"Brooke?", she could see his lips pronounce her name and even though there were dozens of people walking in the distance between the two of them, the both of them only saw one another. Brooke was unbelievably glad that she had chosen to conceal her bruises up, as she could see that even behind her hidden exterior and despite the considerable distance between them, Lucas was able to detect that there was something wrong with her.

As Lucas took a step towards her, panic flashed in Brooke's eyes. She didn't want him to see her like this. If she would hear his soft voice gently speaking to her, she would be too tempted to break down and lean on him, and she couldn't let herself do that without getting even more hurt when he would return to his real life, with Peyton.

"What the hell, Lucas?", Peyton asked Lucas in rage as she followed him, pulling his sleeve and halting his determined stride towards Brooke, who Peyton had yet to see. She thought that they were finally going to forget about anything that wasn't him or her, and only a couple of hours passed and he was obsessing over her best friend again.

"Brooke… She's right here!", Lucas exclaimed and shifted his eyes away from Peyton and back to the spot where he had, moments before, seen Brooke, pointing his finger to the exact place. Much to his surprise, she wasn't there anymore, or anywhere around that spot, for that matter. In the brief second that he turned his attention over to Peyton, she had managed to vanish.

"What are you talking about, Lucas?", Peyton angrily asked Lucas. She was truly getting tired of his fixation on Brooke.

"She was standing right there… I swear…", Lucas frowned, scratching his head and not able to understand how Brooke managed to disappear. He searched the room's space with his eyes and upon failing to find Brooke, began walking quickly towards the hotel's exit, not even giving Peyton a glance. It's not as if he had forgotten about her, it's just that he had seen something truly broken in Brooke's frame, and he was determined to find out what was wrong with her and if needed, fulfill the promise he had once made to her, that he would save her if she needed him to do so.

"Where are you going?", Peyton shrieked in disbelief, marching after Lucas in furious steps.

"Brooke was right here and something was definitely going on with her. I'm gonna find out what's up…", Lucas half-heartedly replied to Peyton as he continued his determined stride towards the hotel's exit, in the hopes of catching up with Brooke.

"Lucas, I am sick of this! If you don't stop this madness right now, I'm calling off this engagement!", Peyton declared upsetedly, causing Lucas to whirl around and face her, his angry features catching her by surprise.

"Why are you being like this? I thought that Brooke was your best friend!", Lucas exclaimed, frustrated by Peyton's behavior and lack of care for the lost girl he had just seen.

"Well, I thought that you were my fiancée…", Peyton bit back and Lucas sighed as he saw tears welling up in her eyes and quickly rolling down his cheeks.

"Oh Peyton…", his eyes and tone immediately softened as he saw the tears flowing freely down her cheeks. Unable to remain indifferent to the sight of her crying, he was quick to approach her and pull her into his arms for a tight hug. As much as he felt the need to continue and look for Brooke, when he heard Peyton beginning to sob in his arms, he found himself soothingly shushing her and promising- "I'm not going anywhere". As he held Peyton's trembling body, Lucas realized that he was always saving Peyton Sawyer, and that day, for the very first time, he actually felt the need to be saving Brooke Davis instead. He didn't realize that, once again, he had managed to be too late for that…

* * *

Sitting in the back seat of the cab she had managed to sneak to, Brooke looked at the view she had passed just minutes earlier and sighed. She was completely exhausted and sore, but she knew that she truly needed to leave Las Vegas and forget the awful feeling of betrayal that was soaking her veins and washing over her entire body. She knew that she needed to go somewhere new, where she would be able to keep the hurtful thoughts out of her head.

As she closed her aching, swollen eyes, trying to give her bruised body a bit of rest, Brooke came to a hurtful understanding that she could depend on nobody but herself, that it was safe to place her heart in none other than her own hands, not even in those of her supposed best friend. This realization did not make Brooke burst into tears or scream with hurt, though, but caused her to retreat into herself and become numb. As she returned to Las Vegas' airport, blankly looking around her, Brooke realized that she was heading for a new start, because the old, lively and cheerful Brooke Davis had just died from the inside tonight, leaving a living shadow to walk on earth in her place…

* * *

**AN: Next chapter will definitely have more Brooke and some Naley in it, and DEFINITELY less Pucas in it, I promise!! I hope you enjoyed this chapter anyway, and as always- please tell me what you think!!**

**As for my thoughts on the show- episode 6X03 didn't have enough scenes with Brooke in it, but the ones that were there were awesome! I just loved the Brathan scene, which was truly surprising and touching, and the scene with Brooke and Jamie in the ending was absolutely the most heartbreaking thing ever... I really hope that Mark could just focus on Brooke more, though... Even if he doesn't, though, I promise that my story will! ;-)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi guys! I wanted to thank you for giving me such wonderful feedback so far! Each and every one of your reviews truly matters a lot and helps me continue writing this story- so thanks! To my lovely anonymous reviewers (especially Shana- whose loyalty and awesome reviews always brighten my week!)- even if I don't get the chance to thank you properly- I really appreciate the time you're taking in order to share your thoughts with me!**

**With that said and before I begin this chapter, I would like to truly express my disappointment with the fourth episode that was aired on Monday. Brooke was in less than ten minutes of the episode, and the only really good scene was the one she shared with Victoria, in which both Sophia and Daphne did an AMAZING job! I really hope that we get to see more of their wonderful scenes together and that Brooke's friends will finally care enough to make Brooke tell them what really happened!**

**Anyway- I'm starting to ramble way too much, so I'll just let you start reading... Enjoy! ;-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 6**

"Brooke- we're home!", Nathan called out into the space of his house as he, Haley and Jamie returned home that evening.

"Brooke?", as he received no answer, Nathan called her name again. He had wanted to return to his house much earlier, as he felt the need to check on Brooke and take care of her, yet Quentin's friends were so upset and lost, that he simply couldn't leave them alone, or even leave Haley to handle them without his help.

Now, however, as his house's silence echoed in his ears, Nathan felt truly guilty for leaving Brooke alone all day. He had seen the terrible physical and emotional state that she was in, and was now starting to wonder whether it had prevented her from performing certain tasks that he was taking for granted. He knew that she couldn't really bend over, let alone climb up the stairs, and shuddered as an image of Brooke just lying limply and helplessly in one of his house's rooms for the entire day entered his mind as a suggestion to what she might have been doing since he had left her in the morning.

"She might be sleeping, Nate…", Haley, who saw her husband's worried expression and read his thoughts, calmingly suggested. She, too, had found herself worrying about Brooke throughout the day, but had her hands so full with consoling her young students, that she couldn't possibly take the time to fully concentrate on her damaged friend until now, when she had finally returned to her house.

Nathan simply nodded in response, finding comfort in the thought that Brooke might just be giving her broken body its much needed rest. Wanting to make sure that this was indeed the case, though, and that Brooke didn't need anything, Nathan replied, "I'm just gonna check on her, Hales", causing Haley to nod approvingly.

Nathan immediately began searching the ground level's rooms, peeking into each doorway and hoping to find Brooke sleeping peacefully on any of the numerous couches that he and Haley had in the different rooms of the house, but having no such luck. Frowning, Nathan walked up to the downstairs bathroom, the only room he had yet to go into on the entrance level, and knocked on the door gently.

"Brooke?", he tried calling for her, but as he received no answer, had no choice but to open the door. He knew that it would have been extremely difficult for Brooke to walk upstairs in her condition, and as he couldn't find her in any other of the downstairs rooms, strongly believed that Brooke was inside the bathroom.

As he turned the doorknob and noted the silence from the other side of the door, Nathan was suddenly overcome by a fear that once the door would be open, he would find Brooke lying unconscious behind it. Nathan carefully pushed the door, not wanting to hit Brooke if she was leaning on it, and was met with a much harsher reality than he expected- Brooke wasn't even in the room.

"Oh my god…", Nathan mumbled, feeling truly horrible with himself. He realized that Brooke must have wanted to return to her room in order to lie in bed or maybe just grab a sweater, and was forced to make the long journey up the stairs on her own, as nobody was there to aid her throughout the entire day. He grabbed his head with frustration and guilt, as he couldn't believe that he had neglected Brooke in her time of need.

Suddenly reminded that Brooke could still use his help, even if she had managed to do without it throughout the day, Nathan decided to concentrate on taking care of her from now and until she would be completely healed instead of wasting his time by regretting this past day's actions. He whirled around and was about to rush upstairs when he was met with Haley, who was looking at him with a worried expression and Jamie, who was holding his mother's hand and looked just as concerned and frightened.

"What's going on, Nathan?", Haley questioned her husband quietly, not wanting to upset her young son, realizing that he had been through more than enough during that day.

"Where's Brooke, momma?", picking up on the fact that his parents were worrying about his godmother, Jamie lifted his big eyes to look at Haley and questioned her in a little voice. He had yet to see her since she had been attacked and even though his parents kept on telling him that Brooke just wasn't feeling well, Jamie could tell that there was more to it.

"She must have gone upstairs, Jimmy-Jam…", Nathan ruffled his son's hair and soothingly replied, causing Haley to immediately understand why Nathan was worried. She had seen how hard it was for Brooke to take just a couple of steps and truly couldn't imagine how she would succeed in walking up the stairs without assistance.

Sensing his parents' tension, Jamie quickly declared, "I wanna talk to aunt Brooke!", causing Haley and Nathan to exchange uneasy looks. They both thought that their little boy had been exposed to enough of the world's hardships that day and that seeing his beloved godmother looking so fragile and beaten up would only add to the confusion and fear he was feeling. Neither one of them wanted to keep Jamie apart from Brooke, but they both wanted to protect the little boy's innocence and pure soul from the knowledge that the adults he loved weren't invincible or unbreakable, so both of them remained silent, not knowing what to tell him.

"Is she mad at me?", Jamie finally asked, as neither Haley nor Nathan accepted or declined his request, causing both of his parents to look down at him in shock.

"Of course not, buddy…", Nathan immediately replied, stroking his son's light hair and feeling his heart breaking for the millionth time that day as he saw Jamie's eyes sadly fall to the floor.

"Come on… Let's go see aunt Brooke, O.K.?", Haley suggested, realizing that keeping the truth about Brooke's condition away from Jamie was ultimately causing her son to be more confused and hurt than what he would be if she gently told him what really happened.

Jamie nodded, slightly encouraged, and led his parents up the stairs, towards the guest room he knew Brooke was staying in. Right behind him, Haley and Nathan exchanged nervous glances and took each other's hand, hoping that Brooke would be in reasonable condition for her meeting with Jamie. The last thing they wanted was for Jamie to see her crying or suffering from physical pain. As they reached the guest room, Haley looked down at her little boy and just prayed that his young heart would be able to handle what he was about to see. She took his hand in one hand and gently tapped on the closed guest-room door with the other.

"Brooke, can we come in?", Haley asked softly, not wanting to startle Brooke by barging into the room in her shaky state. Upon hearing no reply, Haley sighed and exchanged looks with Nathan. She didn't have to talk for him to understand her and to gently pull their son back.

"Buddy- let's give Chester something to eat first, O.K.?", Nathan suggested, understanding Haley's justified desire to see how Brooke was doing before allowing Jamie into her room. If she was in need of medical care, neither one of them wanted Jamie to witness that.

Jamie reluctantly agreed with his father and allowed him to lead him over to his room, knowing that he indeed needed to feed his pet rabbit. Even as they walked away, though, his thoughts remained focused on Brooke and on the determined decision to talk to her once Chester was fed. He knew that his parents were hiding something from him and truly needed to see Brooke with his own eyes and make sure that she was there, that she wasn't going to leave him like Quentin had. He had suffered enough loss for one day already…

Nathan and Jamie almost reached Jamie's room when Haley's panicked voice calling out Nathan's name stopped them dead in their tracks. Worried that Haley had found Brooke passed out or something like that, Nathan quickly turned to Jamie and stared at him intently.

"Jamie, go to your room and wait for me. I'll be right there!", Nathan told Jamie in an urgent tone, trying to remain as composed as he could in front of his son even as he felt his heart racing in his chest.

"I wanna come with you, daddy", Jamie begged his father and looked at him with big, pleading eyes. He was scared to find why his mother sounded so upset, but truly didn't want to be left alone. He was so confused and frightened by this day's horrible events that the only way he could feel that he was still standing on solid ground was if his parents were by his side.

Understanding Jamie's need not to be left unaccompanied and realizing that he might be wasting precious time that Brooke couldn't afford to be loosing, Nathan nodded in agreement and grabbed Jamie in his arms, racing towards the guest-room. He only managed to run up to the middle of the corridor when he was met with Haley, who came racing out of the guest-room, looking truly alarmed.

"Do I need to get her to the hospital?", Nathan immediately asked, not knowing what the extent of what Haley found was and not wanting to spend unnecessary time going around the matter.

Shaking her head, Haley tensely replied, "She's not there!", causing Nathan's stomach to drop. They exchanged panicked looks before sprinting in opposite directions, needing to search the rest of the upstairs rooms for their missing friend.

"Brooke! Brooke?!", both Haley and Nathan called out for her, opening every door in every room on the hopes of still finding her somewhere in the house. As Haley reached the last room on her side of the floor and flung the door open, her eyes grew completely dark and she yelled to Nathan, "She's not here!".

At the exact same moment, Nathan opened the last closed door in the house and upon finding an empty room, called out in frustration and fear, "Damn it!".

"Where did aunt Brooke go, daddy?", Jamie shakily asked his father, fearing that he had lost another person he loved.

"I don't know, buddy…", Nathan truthfully answered, unable to hide how helpless he felt anymore. The only comforting gesture he had to offer to his son was a tight, big hug, which Jamie gladly accepted.

Leaning his head on his father's shoulder, Jamie quietly asked, "Is she gonna come back, or is she gone like Q?".

The genuine innocence and fear in Jamie's questioned broke Nathan's heart into pieces and he was quick to reassure his little boy- "Brooke is coming back, Jamie. I promise…". The certainty in Nathan's voice caused Jamie to nod in belief, yet as Nathan felt a tear wet his shoulder, he could tell how scared and insecure his son felt.

"It's all gonna be alright, buddy", Nathan promised, kissing Jamie on top of his head and rushing out to the corridor with him in his arms, to meet back with Haley.

"Hales- I'm gonna swing by Brooke's place and look for her. She did say that she wanted to go back home, so she's probably there…", Nathan tried to be reasonable and called out to Haley as he walked back to where they last met in the hallway. Haley wasn't there though, and he could hear her calling out for him from their bedroom.

"What is it?", he asked as he reached the bedroom, still holding Jamie tightly in his arms. Haley just looked at him and then turned to the answering machine, which was blinking as an indication that they had a new message.

Nathan tensely stared at Haley as she pressed the button to play the message and sighed in relief as the machine recited Brooke's cell-phone number, which both he and Haley knew by heart, and time in which the message had been left- during the late morning of that very day. Nathan's relief was short-termed, though, as when the message began playing out, Brooke's pants and suppressed sobs filled the room.

"Hi guys… It's me…", Nathan and Haley felt their hearts twitching as they heard Brooke's small, broken voice whimpering, "I just called… so you won't worry… about me…", Brooke managed to say in-between muffled sobs and sniffles. "I'm gonna leave Tree Hill for a while… I just need… some time for myself…", she shakily said, "So tell Jamie… that I love him…", as her godson's name slipped out of her mouth, Nathan and Haley could hear Brooke's voice cracking and listened to her beginning to cry uncontrollably. "Thank you… for taking care… of me…", Brooke sobbed, causing Nathan to close his eyes, feeling as though he had failed his friend, and Haley and Jamie to begin tearing up, as they felt their beloved friend's deep pain. "I love… you guys…", Brooke let out a heart wrenching sob and then the message ended, leaving Haley, Nathan and Jamie standing in their places in shock.

"Damn it, Brooke!", Nathan was the first to break the silence with a frustrated mutter. He couldn't believe that Brooke would be so careless and irresponsible to travel alone in her condition and even more so, couldn't believe that he had left her alone and allowed her to do so.

As Haley tried to call Brooke's cell-phone and reached her answering machine, the panic started to build up on her features. "What are we going to do, Nate?", Haley asked her husband in alarm, truly fearing for her beloved friend.

"We're gonna find her and bring her back home", Nathan promised, pulling Haley to him for a firm hug. As he held his family close to his heart, Nathan finally acknowledged just how much he had lost that day and just how fragile life was. He tightened his grip on Jamie and Haley protectively, feeling the need to protect everything he had left with him, including his broken and lost friend whose whereabouts were currently unknown to him. Even though she could have been anywhere in the world, Nathan swore to himself that he would ensure that Brooke safely returned to Tree Hill and would watch over her until she was alright again. He truly couldn't bear the thought of losing her as well.

Kissing both Haley and Jamie's heads, Nathan confidently repeated, "I promise that we're gonna bring Brooke back home. I won't rest until we do…".

* * *

New-York's breezy and cool air, which would usually be refreshing in Brooke's opinion, now stung her fragile lungs and made her wince, as more piercing pain rushed through her body. She knew that she was wearing herself out, when she obviously needed to be cautious in her state, but she no longer cared. Even as she felt how her stomach was beginning to unhealthily swell up, Brooke didn't allow herself to rest. She was Brooke Davis, and nobody cared about how Brooke Davis was doing, no even Brooke Davis herself…

When she had arrived in New-York at first, during the early evening of that day, she had planned to go straight to her apartment in East Village and just lie down and allow her aching body to rest from the long and exhausting day she had put herself through, but as she looked at the streets of Manhattan from the cab she was sitting in, she decided otherwise. She realized that in New-York, she would finally blend in, with her dark, long clothes and huge sunglasses, which she still wore, even though it was almost night already, so she asked the driver to pull over and began to walk aimlessly in the busy streets of the city.

Even though Brooke could feel her body beginning to hurt more and more and was growing slightly dizzy, she continued to walk in the lit-up streets for several hours and just carelessly stared at the many people that walked past her through her big shades.

New-York used to excite Brooke, but now, as she slowly walked in its most marvelous streets, she felt absolutely nothing. Even when cold raindrops began dripping from the sky and, slowly but surely, soaked her from head to toe, Brooke remained numb. Ever since she realized that she had lost both the boy she loved with every fiber of her being and her best friend, for whose happiness she was truly willing to sacrifice her own, nothing made sense to Brooke anymore, nothing seemed worth struggling through the painful state she was in anymore. It was as though her soul had shut down, and she was simply too weak to fight in order to revive it.

Suddenly growing short of breath, Brooke couldn't help but collapse onto a street bench that she walked by. As the rain continued pounding on her frail body, Brooke fought to catch her breath and finally acknowledged how much her body hurt and how badly it was shaking. She blinked several times, trying to rid herself of the dizziness that seemed to be overpowering her and with a true effort, managed to rise back to her wobbly feet. When her knees buckled yet again and her aching body hit the bench once more, Brooke whimpered in pain and finally decided that she should head to her apartment and just lie alone in bed until she would be strong enough to face the world again. She slowly got up to her feet again, holding onto the bench until she was sure that her feet could carry her again, and quickly stopped a cab, directing the driver to her New-York home.

When she finally reached her apartment, Brooke was completely drenched and had to truly fight in order to keep her body from falling down to the floor. After shakily fumbling for her house-key for an entire minute, Brooke finally dug it out of her purse and managed to enter her apartment.

Upon going into her home, the first thing that Brooke wanted was to allow her body to collapse onto the sofa and fall into an endless sleep. As she shivered on her way to the couch and realized how cold and wet she was, a different idea came to her mind. She wobbled over to the liquor cabinet and pulled out a bottle of vodka, dragging herself over to the living room and finally allowing her body to drop down onto the sofa.

Brooke yelped in pain as her sore body fell onto the soft couch and reminded her of the bruises and injuries she had yet to heal from. She felt tears burning her throat and threatening to spill from her eyes, but instead of allowing them out, she quickly took a swig out of the bottle and winced as its strong taste shot through her body. As the tears were still threatening to fall, Brooke brought the bottle to her mouth and drank some more of the intoxicating liquid, not stopping herself until she emptied the bottle completely, merely minutes later. Her body would always signal to her to stop drinking clear, unmixed vodka after a few short shots, especially when she was drinking on an empty stomach, like she was now, but this time, Brooke blindly ignored the stinging pain in her chest and stomach from the strong drink and was actually comforted by the warm, cozy feeling that would always spread through her body after she would drink.

As Brooke felt herself drifting off, affected by the huge amount of alcohol she let into her system, she felt truly calm and peaceful again, for the first time since her attack. Her pain was finally numbed away and replaced with a hazy tingling feeling and a sense of true tranquility overtook her.

When her apartment's entrance door opened up, several minutes later, Brooke felt a vague feeling of panic rising in her body, but she was truly too sleepy and out of it to react upon the quiet alarming bells that were distantly ringing in her head. As she indistinctly heard the person who entered her house worriedly calling out her name, Brooke was already under such a strong influence of the alcohol, that she could do nothing but allow her eyes to roll to the back of her head and carelessly let go…

* * *

**AN: O.K... I know that this seems really dark and pessemistic right now, but let me assure you that Brooke is definitely NOT dead and that I have a lot more planned up for her! Next time I promise to reveal who came into her apartment and what will further happen to Brooke. And for those of you eager for Lucas to come up- just be patient with me for a little longer, because I promise that his role will get much bigger as the story progresses! ;-)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hi guys! Sorry for the long wait, but I've had a pretty busy week, so I wrote this as quickly as I could. I actually planned to have one more scene in this chapter, but seeing that I already let you wait for long enough, I decided to post what I have, so I hope this turned out alright. I'd be glad if you let me know...**

**As for the cliffhanger ending, most of you guys guessed correctly, but I kind of expected that of you... Just read the first sentence, and you'll find out who came into Brooke's apartment! Enjoy! ;-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 7**

"Oh my god…" Rachel stood frozen in her place and felt her heart skipping a beat as she stared at her friend's bruised forehead and disturbingly still figure. She had no idea how long Brooke had been lying like this or what had happened that had caused her to be in such a horrible state, and was truly scared to approach Brooke. She was frightened that upon reaching her beloved friend, she would find out that she was no longer breathing, that her body was all that was left of her.

Rachel wasn't intending to meet Brooke at all that night, so finding her only real friend in her apartment that night caught Rachel off guard, regardless of her condition. She snuck into Brooke's apartment that day after spending a few months in rehab, and a few more working to make some money, so she could return Brooke what she had taken from her. She only wanted to leave Brooke a cheque, the first of several, which would start to pay back for the large amount of money she thoughtlessly stole from her. She was truly ashamed of her actions, even though they were an act of desperation, and truly didn't feel worthy of facing Brooke, even to beg for forgiveness, until she could return everything she had taken. Therefore, as she saw her friend sitting on her couch, seemingly staring at her through her large shades, Rachel felt the panic rising in her body, as she truly wasn't prepared to meet Brooke just yet. When she realized that Brooke wasn't responding and was obviously unconscious, however, Rachel felt her heart beginning to beat wildly, and for a completely different reason. She felt as if she was about to suffocate as she started at her lifeless friend and prayed in her heart that Brooke would make even the smallest of movements, so that she could see that she was still there.

Brooke's cell-phone suddenly rang, completely startling Rachel and causing her to snap out of the shaken state that she was in. She finally managed to move her feet out of the spot they seemed to be planted in and rushed over to Brooke, realizing that she needed to either help her wake up or get her to a hospital as soon as she could. She knew that the last time they both were in this apartment, the situation was just the other way around, and was now intending to make it up to Brooke for having to take care of her as she did back then. Just like Brooke had done to her, she would now stick by her friend's side and make sure she would be alright again, despite all the issues that she still had to deal with in her own life. This was her time to take care of her big-hearted friend, and Rachel was going to do everything in her power to make things right for Brooke, no matter what she had to deal with for her sake.

Ignoring Brooke's phone, which kept on ringing, Rachel bent over and grabbed Brooke's shoulders, gently shaking the unmoving girl.

"Brooke! Brooke?!" Rachel desperately called out her friend's name. Now that she was standing so close to her friend, she could see more bruises all over her body and a bandage around her wrist, but she was determined to ignore the marks on the surface of Brooke's body in order to get through to Brooke's inner soul and wake her up. "Brooke, can you hear me?" Rachel shook Brooke again, and upon receiving no response, gently took off Brooke's sunglasses and froze as she looked at her eyes.

"Oh god…" Rachel gasped and froze as she saw Brooke's black and swollen eyes and spotted more cuts and bruises, which were sullying Brooke's beautiful face and had been so far hiding behind her huge shades. Tears formed in Rachel's eyes as she thought of what her friend must have endured that caused her to look this way. She quickly wiped them away and gently took Brooke's hands, squeezing them, as though asking Brooke to return the gesture and show her that despite her beaten up appearance, she was still kicking and fighting somewhere inside.

"Brooke? Honey, can you hear me?" Rachel asked Brooke in a trembling voice, fighting hard to remain from crying. Even though she had seen Brooke in a fair share of down states when they had lived together in high-school, she had never seen her looking anywhere near this bad, and this truly terrified her. Rubbing Brooke's freezing hands and brushing her wet hair out of her face, Rachel tried getting through to Brooke again.

"Listen, slut, if you don't wake up right now- I'm gonna have to drag your fat ass over to the hospital, and I know how much you hate those, so you'd better wake up!" Rachel declared, knowing that Brooke would rarely miss a chance to participate in their playful name-calling game. She couldn't stop her tears anymore as Brooke, yet again, failed to respond.

"Come on, Brooke… You've gotta wake up, sweetie!" Rachel begged in a choked up voice, bringing her hand to Brooke's face and gently caressing her forehead, shuddering in fear as she sensed how hot Brooke's face was.

"Oh my god, you're burning up…" Rachel mumbled to herself, realizing that she truly needed to get her friend to a hospital as soon as possible, so she could receive the medical care she obviously was in need of. She grabbed Brooke's phone, which only moments earlier stopped furiously ringing, and quickly dialed the three digits that nobody with a straight mind would ever want to dial- _9-1-1_.

"Hello- my name is Rachel and I found my friend, Brooke, passed out and burning up in her apartment" Rachel hysterically informed the operator as soon as she heard her on the other side of the line.

"How long has she been in this condition?" the operator calmly asked, trying to soothe the frantic girl she was talking to, but only causing her to panic even more.

"I don't know… I came into her house just a few minutes ago and she was like this… I tried talking to her and moving her, but she won't wake up… You've gotta hurry! She's all bruised up… and she has a weak pulse… and she's barely breathing! Please… You have to help her!" Rachel was so upset by Brooke's condition, that she just helplessly sobbed into the phone, afraid that she was losing her only friend in the world.

"Give me your address and we'll get there as soon as possible," the operator told Rachel in a reassuring voice, "In the mean time, lay a wet, cold towel across her forehead. It might help bring her fever down" she advised.

Rachel shakily gave the operator the apartment's address and then rushed to do as she was told. She returned to Brooke's side hurriedly, scared to leave her alone in her condition, and carefully placed the towel she had dampened over Brooke's hot, bruised forehead, receiving no response from the lifeless brunette.

"Brooke- you've gotta hang in there…" Rachel desperately pleaded, rubbing Brooke's cold palms with her own as she waited for the ambulance to finally arrive. She couldn't stop her tears from flowing down her cheeks as she sorrowfully begged, "Please, Brooke… You're all that I have…"

* * *

Nathan paced back and forth across the kitchen, frustrated and worried out of his mind. It was almost eleven p.m. already, and he had yet to learn about Brooke's whereabouts. In the condition that he had last seen her, he knew that this truly couldn't be a good thing at all. He had repeatedly tried calling Brooke's cell-phone, but was always greeted with her perky answering machine, which cheerfully invited him to leave her a message.

Hearing Brooke's voice on the recorded message only added to Nathan's stress as it made him think more and more of the girl that he had grown to love as a little sister, the girl whose fragile heart he had vowed, and failed, to protect from the world's hardships and bad souls.

Nathan truly wanted to be able to help Quentin's family with the horrible tragedy that fell upon them, but he had to bring Brooke back home before he could even think about that. He had to take care of what he hoped he still had before he could afford grieving what he had lost.

"Come on, Davis… Pick up the phone!" Nathan mumbled as he dialed, yet again, Brooke's cell-phone number. He felt completely helpless standing in the safety of his kitchen and just calling Brooke, yet there wasn't really anything else that he could do. He had tried going to the airport and explaining the situation to the manager of the ticket-selling office, but the man could only apologize that he couldn't be of any help, as all passenger information was strictly confidential. Even as Nathan told him that it could be a matter of life or death, the manager's hands remained tied behind his back. Nathan took a deep breath now, as he, once again, reached Brooke's answering machine, as he realized that his harsh presentation of the situation to the manager was unfortunately becoming a pretty probable possibility. He closed his eyes and buried his face in his hands, feeling desperate and helpless.

"She's still not answering?" Nathan suddenly felt Haley's gentle hand squeezing his shoulder in support and shared concern as her soft voice quietly questioned.

"No…" Nathan shook his head in defeat, as if admitting to Haley that he had failed. He sighed and locked eyes with his wife, not needing to say another word to express how he felt, as his eyes said it all.

"Maybe you should go to bed, Nate," Haley gently suggested. She truly didn't want to give up on trying to find Brooke for the day, but upon seeing the weariness in Nathan's eyes, she knew that he needed to get some rest and prepare for the long day that would begin just a few hours from then. "We're gonna have a tough day tomorrow with Quentin's funeral…" Haley added and then let her eyes slip to the floor sadly, as she acknowledged just how much they had been through during that single day.

"Haley, I know you are trying to look after me and I love you for that, but I sure as hell am not gonna rest while Brooke is somewhere out there, possibly desperately needing help!" Nathan declared, upset to even think of the possibility of going to sleep without knowing what Brooke's fate was. He pulled out his cell-phone with frustration, dialing Brooke's cell-phone number once again.

Haley sighed upon looking at her distressed husband and quickly rubbed up and down his arm in affection. "Nate, I didn't mean to upset you…" Haley apologized, causing Nathan to sigh and look down at her. She was going to continue speaking to him soothingly, when Nathan's eyes suddenly widened alertly.

"Nathan?" Haley stared at him questioningly, yet Nathan put his hand up, asking her to remain quiet, and spoke up, but to Haley's surprise, not to her.

"Who is this?" Nathan tensely asked the person who finally answered Brooke's cell-phone. He felt his heart beating louder and louder in his chest as he heard the feminine voice whimpering and sniffling instead of speaking back to him. Even though he was completely certain that the woman he tried to talk to was not Brooke, he couldn't help but ask, "Brooke, that isn't you, is it?"

In response, Nathan received more sniffles and suppressed sobs. Just as he was planning on, once again, trying to encourage the woman to speak, he finally heard her shaky voice pronouncing the first two comprehensible words- "It's Rachel."

"Rachel? Is Brooke with you??" Nathan asked in an urgent tone as Haley raised her eyebrow questioningly, not understanding Rachel's relation to the situation.

"Sort of…" Rachel mumbled through her tears, causing Nathan to become completely impatient.

"Listen, Rachel- this isn't the time to be vague about anything!" He exclaimed, needing to stress how important Brooke's condition was to him, "I need you to tell me everything you know about Brooke!" he demanded.

"Look… I just found her in her apartment a few hours ago… She was passed out and had a fever, so I called an ambulance that took her to the hospital… I've been sitting in the emergency room's waiting area for a few hours and nobody would tell me anything about her…" Rachel fought really hard to speak instead of crying, but as she finished filling Nathan in, she could no longer help it and let out a loud sob.

"Damn it!" Nathan cursed, realizing that his terrible gut feeling had been right all along, that his dear friend indeed was in trouble that day, and that he had let her down once again. His frustrated tone caused Rachel, who was shaky as it was, to burst out crying even harder, and Haley to stare at him with confusion and concern. Nathan took a deep breath, composing himself, and spoke out in the most confident and relaxed tone that he could muster.

"Rachel- I need you to calm down and tell me exactly where you are," he instructed her. As he heard Rachel fighting to restrain her sobs, he soothingly added, "Wherever you are- I will be there as soon as I can…"

As she heard her husband's words, Haley dutifully rushed to bring a pen and a piece of paper for Nathan, so he could jot down the address that Rachel gave to him. She stood by Nathan's side, and as she suspected, she soon saw Nathan writing down the information of a hospital that Brooke had been admitted to. Even though she knew that something must have been terribly wrong with Brooke from the moment that Nathan started speaking to Rachel, she could feel her stomach dropping as she looked at the name of the hospital, and thought of Brooke lying in it.

Once Nathan finished his conversation he took a big breath and then turned to look at Haley, his eyes full of concern, "Hales, I know that Quentin's funeral is tomorrow, and I seriously don't want to leave you alone, but things don't look so great with Brooke, and Rachel is pretty hysterical there, so…" he began explaining the situation to her in a stressed-out and apologetic tone, but Haley quickly cut into his speech.

"Go," Haley confidently told him, taking his hand as if to give him her blessing. When Nathan still looked at her in a worried and skeptical gaze, she forced a small smile and added, "Brooke needs you, Nate," she said, letting him know that she understood and shared his concern for their friend, "Go on, Nate… Bring tigger back home" Haley said, putting a sad smile on Nathan's face as well.

"I love you" Nathan told Haley as he pulled her in for a fierce hug.

"I love you too" Haley replied, holding onto Nathan for as long as she could, as if wanting to store the memory of the hug for the dreadful day she knew she was about to face, in which Nathan's much needed presence wouldn't be around. When she finally brought herself to draw away from Nathan, she looked deeply into his eyes and asked, "Call me when you get there. I want to know how she's doing…"

Nathan simply nodded, casting Haley one last reassuring smile before turning away from her and heading outside.

"Be careful, Nate…" Haley couldn't help but yell after her husband before he was out of her sight. She knew that Nathan wasn't about to do anything risky, but with the way the ground seemed to be moving under their feet during the last few days, she felt like nobody was truly safe. Haley sighed as she observed Nathan's car driving away towards the airport and sighed. She tiredly climbed upstairs and smiled her first genuine smile of that day as she found Jamie snuggled under the blankets of her and Nathan's big bed, fast asleep. She quietly got into the bed, careful not to rattle it and wake Jamie up and finally felt calmness spreading over her as her small son curled up against her body in his sleep, nestling his head against her.

"Come back, aunt Brooke…" Jamie mumbled in his sleep, causing Haley to tighten her grip on him protectively and kiss him on top of his head. She knew exactly how her little boy was feeling. She, too, just wanted her perky friend to return home and shine them her dimpled smile, which would always manage to brighten up the day and make all the bad things go away. With Brooke, Nathan and even Lucas gone, things just weren't the same, Tree Hill didn't seem like the safe home that it had always been. Haley wished that all three of them would return home already, so that life would seem normal again and not like the awful nightmare that she had been experiencing for the past few days. As she glanced down at her sleeping son, she thought of his similar-looking uncle and sighed heavy-heartedly. If Lucas was there, Haley was sure that he would know exactly what to do or say in order to make her feel better.

"Oh Lucas... Come back home..." Haley mumbled to herself quietly, afterwards exhaustedly drifting into sleep.

* * *

At the exact same time, still staying in the other side of the country, Lucas was sharing the exact same thought that his best friend had murmured before she fell asleep. Ever since he had seen Brooke staring at him in the casino that afternoon, Lucas couldn't take the image of the broken brunette out of his mind. Even though Peyton was snuggled into his body, resting her head on his chest, it was her best friend that was occupying his thoughts and not her.

Lucas had thought that once Peyton would be his again, there would be nothing else that he would want, but now, as he lay with her in their hotel bed in Las Vegas, he understood that he was wrong. All he really wanted was to go back to Tree Hill and understand the reason that Brooke looked so helpless and lost that afternoon. All he really wanted was to get out of that glamorous city and return to his humble town, his home.

"Peyton..." Lucas cleared his throat and glanced down at her, feeling her head shift on his chest in order to look up at his face. He knew that she wasn't going to like what he was about to say, but felt the need to speak out anyway, "I think that maybe we should return to Tree Hill tomorrow..."

* * *

**AN: Alright, so this is all for now. Next time I PROMISE that there will be more of Brooke- including Brachel and Brathan. As for Brucas- it'll still take a bit longer... I hope that everyone who wanted it to be Rachel who found Brooke enjoyed this chapter, and I promise you that there will be a lot more of her up ahead! ;-) Please tell me what you thought! ;-)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hi guys! I had a pretty busy week again, but here is my new chapter! I apologize in advance for the fact that Brooke isn't in a major portion of this chapter, but this chapter is truly crucial for this story's advancement. You'll see what I mean once you read it... So I really hope you'll enjoy this and as always- I would love it if you shared your thoughts with me! ;-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Last Time**

_"Peyton..." Lucas cleared his throat and glanced down at her, feeling her head shift on his chest in order to look up at his face. He knew that she wasn't going to like what he was about to say, but felt the need to speak out anyway, "I think that maybe we should return to Tree Hill tomorrow..."_

**Chapter 8**

Peyton's jaw dropped as she heard Lucas' statement. She knew that Lucas had reserved the room for two more nights, and was getting really furious that during that entire day, instead of enjoying the time that they shared together, Lucas kept finding excuses to focus on Brooke instead of her.

"This is about Brooke, isn't it?" Peyton immediately sat up and drew herself away from Lucas' touch, causing his face to fill with amazement.

"I just think that we've been away from home for long enough" Lucas finally replied, holding himself together with great effort so not to snap at Peyton. She was truly getting on his nerves that day.

"Oh really? And what exactly is it that you are so anxious to get back home to, Lucas?" Peyton angrily questioned Lucas, crossing her hands over her chest and continuing to lecture him, "I thought that as long as we were together, you had everything you needed, no matter where we are!" Peyton exclaimed, reminding Lucas of what he had told her on the first day that they were away.

"Why are you being like this, Peyton?" Lucas couldn't help but raise his voice with frustration as well, as he was truly getting tired with fighting with Peyton, especially when he had much bigger worries on his mind.

"I am _being like this_ because this entire day you've been somewhere else, Luke…" Peyton furiously replied, and then added with even greater resentment, "With _someone_ else on your mind…"

"So what- now that we're together, I'm not allowed to care about other people?" Lucas questioned Peyton in a heated tone. He was truly sick of hearing Peyton's accusations, particularly when Brooke's broken appearance kept flashing in his mind and filling him with the need to find her as soon as possible and help her out.

"What you've been doing today isn't simply caring for Brooke, it's obsessing over her!" Peyton exclaimed, causing Lucas' heart to beat harder with growing rage.

"Damn it, Peyton! I thought that Brooke was your best friend!" he yelled, completely startling Peyton with the intensity of his voice, "I am telling you that I saw her today, and there's something wrong with her. Don't you care enough to go home and see what's going on with her?!"

"Why do you always get in a relationship and then have to save someone who isn't your girlfriend, Lucas?!" Peyton bit back as tears started streaming down her face. She had been truly offended by the way that Lucas had shouted at her, but when Lucas stared at her sobbing in front of him, instead of feeling guilty for his actions, he actually felt as though his compassion for Peyton had been shut down. He was actually pretty disgusted by the way that she refused to care about the fact that something was obviously terribly wrong with her best friend.

Lucas took a deep breath, wanting to calm down his rising anger and continued staring at Peyton crying before him, feeling his heart grow more and more indifferent to the sight. He felt like he had suddenly seen a whole new side of the girl he thought he loved and wanted to spend his life with, and that selfish, inconsiderate side completely changed the way he felt about her. That side simply caused him to fall out of love with her in that very instant.

"You know, Peyton- you're right," Lucas replied in a calm voice, much to Peyton's surprise. She stared at him in shock as he smiled bitterly at her and continued, "Now I remember a time when it was the other way around- when I was with Brooke and I was busy saving you," he said to her quietly, yet as Peyton stared at him from behind her tears, she couldn't help but notice how powerful and distant he seemed despite his muffled tone. "Do you remember the 'Sparkle Classics' right after Ellie passed away?" Lucas asked her and after Peyton slightly nodded, a vague, angry spark of guilt filled Lucas' eyes, "You got drunk and accidently fell asleep in my room and because I realized that you were having a tough time and didn't know what you were doing, I crashed on the floor, but when Brooke found us in the same room in the morning, she was as hurt as hell…"

"Luke…" Peyton's eyes widened as she heard the tale for the very first time and suddenly realized how much heartache she must have caused Brooke, "I never knew…" she tried to convince both him and herself that had she known what she was doing, she would have never hurt Brooke like that, but by the way she had been acting that day, both she and Lucas knew that this was a lie, that she was able to carelessly hurt Brooke when she was blinded by her insecurities and desire for Lucas.

"Do you know that Brooke was willing to put her own pain and feelings aside for your sake right after that happened? Not only was she there for you- she actually encouraged me to go and help you with everything you might need, as she realized that you needed your friends, even though I could see how insecure she felt when she saw you and me together" Lucas told her with criticism, completely ignoring the fact that she had spoken to him. The abysmal difference between the forgiving way that Brooke had handled the situation back when she was merely a 17 year-old girl to the selfish way Peyton chose to focus exclusively on herself as a mature 22 year-old finally showed Lucas who he was dealing with. He looked at Peyton with disgust as he realized that in reality she most certainly wasn't who he thought she was, who he had made her to be.

"Lucas…" Peyton whimpered in a small voice, feeling ashamed of her behavior that past day and fearful of where Lucas was leading this conversation. She couldn't afford to have him leave her, as people always left her, and as she reflected over her actions of that day, she could actually understand why that was.

"Do you know that right after the two of you were attacked on prom night, she would lock herself in the bathroom and cry there alone at night because she didn't want to bother you or for you to feel as she did when she and I were together and I would put you before her?" Lucas let out his frustration and tension on Peyton, even though he was more angry at himself than at her for the way things were.

"After I found her in a complete state of hysteria one night and convinced her to let me help, I promised her that I would always be there for her, and today, when I saw her looking so broken and simply let her walk away, I broke that promise, Peyton!" Lucas exclaimed, completely furious with himself that he had let Peyton keep him from racing after Brooke and helping her out that afternoon.

"Lucas- please…" Peyton pleaded with him as she felt the panic rising in her chest. Throughout Lucas' speech she grew more and more ashamed of the lousy way she had treated the one girl she considered to be her best friend, the one person who had stood by her side through everything and had never left her, like everybody else in her life had done. She couldn't argue with Lucas' words, as she, too, knew how bighearted and selfless Brooke was, but as Lucas continued expressing his concern towards her, Peyton grew more and more fearful that she was losing Lucas to Brooke. Due to the numerous phone-calls both she and Lucas received from Brooke since they had left Tree Hill, Peyton knew that Lucas had an excellent reason to be worried about Brooke, yet the great concern for her brunette friend was overpowered by the fear that Lucas would leave her if he would know that she had been hiding evidence that the worries he had told her about were legitimate. Even though Brooke might be at risk, Peyton just couldn't allow Lucas to go and leave her. She continued to look at Lucas with begging eyes, asking him to just let the matter go and stay with her, but in response to her plea, Lucas' gaze only sharpened and turned into a glare as he spoke.

"You and I both know that Brooke would have done anything for us, so now we need to pack up and go back home and pray that she will be alright when we get there…" Lucas demanded, throwing Peyton one last angry glance before starting to pack his belongings. He knew that it wasn't entirely her fault that he had neglected Brooke- it was his genius idea to leave Tree Hill right after Angie left after all, but the fits that Peyton had been throwing over him merely mentioning Brooke's name made it easier for Lucas to resent her for the guilt that he was feeling. This time, however, he was most certainly not going to give in to these fits- he was determined to listen to that bad feeling he had been having in the pit of his stomach since he had left Tree Hill and go back to check on his friend, just like his heart told him to.

As he continued packing, Lucas didn't really pay attention to Peyton, but just saw her standing still in her place out of the corner of his eye. He knew that he hadn't been exactly fair toward her either- calling her and asking her to get engaged to him and basically realizing he had changed his mind only days later, but Lucas promised himself that once they would be back in Tree Hill and Brooke would be taken care of, he would sit down with Peyton and figure whether they should slowly try to build their relationship back up, despite the resentment he felt towards her at that moment. However, when Peyton opened her mouth and spoke, Lucas froze in shock as he heard her words.

"Why can't you just stay here with me, Luke? Why am I not enough for you?" she cried, her desperate sobs sounding like the most pathetic sound Lucas had ever heard. He angrily whirled towards Peyton, causing her to jump in surprise due to the abruptness of his movement, and shouted.

"_This isn't about you, Peyton! Don't you get it?! I have this image of Brooke looking like a ghost that's been haunting me all day!!_" Lucas screamed with rage, simply furious that Peyton still managed to remain focused on herself despite everything that he had said to her.

"Then let's just call her…" Peyton desperately suggested, making yet another attempt to hang on to Lucas, yet only causing his blood to boil even more.

"_What is the matter with you, Peyton?! Are you even listening to what I am saying to you?!_" Lucas yelled, completely infuriated by the fact that Peyton was continuing to unnecessarily stall their departure.

"I listened, but I don't want us to go, Lucas! I want us to stay here!" Peyton raised her voice as well, whining through her tears.

Lucas clenched his fists at his sided, ready to explode for the rage that he felt. He just felt like he lacked both the energy and the time to argue with Peyton, as Brooke's disturbing appearance simply didn't leave his mind. He glanced at Peyton, who was crossing her hands over her chest challengingly, and simply rolled his eyes in defeat.

"Fine- then stay…" he finally replied, closing his packed-up suitcase and starting to walk toward the room's exit past an open-mouthed Peyton.

"What?!" Peyton gasped, "You're just going to leave me here?" she exclaimed with disbelief.

"I'm leaving and I can't force you to come with me if you don't want to" Lucas stated the fact coldly, completely exhausted from their argument by this point. He dug his hand in his pocket and took his wallet out, pulling a few bills out of it, "This should cover the flight back to Tree Hill," he told a stunned Peyton as he handed her the bills, "I already paid for the room, so you don't have to worry about it…" Lucas said and then walked towards the door, leaving Peyton standing in shock behind him.

"No, Lucas! You can't go!" Peyton desperately called after him, feeling her heart beating quickly in her chest in an alarmed beat.

"I'm sorry that this is the way things ended, Peyton" Lucas turned to her for a moment and told her sincerely. He truly never meant to hurt her, but after seeing her in this whole new light, he could certainly tell that this was not the woman for him.

As Peyton studied Lucas' expression and realized that he was not going to change his mind, she felt her lower lip quivering and shakily managed to tell him, "I can't believe that you are doing this…"

"I'm sorry…" he quietly replied, feeling slightly ashamed for hurting her and making her cry. This shame was quickly erased, though, as Lucas turned around and heard Peyton yelled at him.

"You're an ass, Lucas, you know that?!" she screeched, causing Lucas to shake his head with disapproval and begin walking away. As he stepped into the hotel's hallway and began walking towards the elevator, he heard her calling after him, "You know what, Luke? Just go to your precious Brooke. I don't need you anyway!" Peyton bit, the hurt and venom blending in her voice. Just as the elevator's doors opened and Lucas was about to step inside, he heard her yelling, "Why don't you propose to her too, huh?! Apparently it's what you do best these days…"

Lucas simply shook his head as he entered the elevator and began his journey towards Tree Hill. Peyton's last comment seemed completely ridiculous to him, as he simply had his mind set on helping a dear, beloved friend in a time of need, and not of anything farther. Had he not been so pissed off at Peyton and worried about Brooke, he would have actually found Peyton's statement pretty funny, as he never thought he would propose to two different women in such a short time and then end up thinking about another. Considering the circumstances, however, Lucas wasn't carrying a smile around, but a worried, heavy heart.

As he stepped out of the Bellagio resort and hailed a cab, Brooke's tainted appearance flashed in Lucas mind and caused him to shudder. _"Hang in there,"_ Lucas begged Brooke in his heart, _"I'm coming home, and I promise that I will be there for you, Brooke Davis…"_

* * *

"Anybody here for Brooke Davis?" the hospital nurse finally asked what Rachel had been waiting to hear for the past few hours, causing her to jump out of her seat.

"I am… Is she O.K.?" Rachel shakily asked, her tears, which had already dried on her cheeks from the long, exhausting wait, starting to form in her eyes again at the thought of her friend's fragile condition. She stared at the nurse with pleading eyes, begging her to tell her that Brooke was going to be alright, yet the nurse simply looked back at her and formally questioned.

"Are you related to the patient? I can only give this information to immediate family" she said.

"Yeah, I'm her cousin," Rachel replied the first thing that came to her mind and upon realizing that this might not be good enough and seeing the nurse looking like she was about to refuse to give her the information regarding Brooke's state, she quickly added, "Look- we're practically like sisters… She's basically the only family that I have, and she's not close to her immediate family either…"

"Listen ma'am- it's a hospital policy to only give information of this sort to a parent, child, sibling or spouse of the patient" the nurse said apologetically, but Rachel most certainly was not planning on giving up.

"Brooke is single and an only child," she explained, "You could try to call her parents and tell them, but I promise you that they won't care and most certainly won't come here" she truthfully said, the criticism and hatred towards Brooke's parents filling her voice and finally convincing the nurse to give in.

"Alright… I guess that we'll make this an exception then…" the nurse uneasily said. She was worried that she would get in trouble for going against the hospital policy, but considering the medical file that she held in her hands, she decided that it would be more important to allow this patient to receive the help she would obviously need from someone who undoubtedly cared than to obey the rules and leave her alone and helpless.

"Brooke had, without doubt, been treated in a medical institute prior to arriving here tonight. Do you know anything about this?" the nurse questioned and looked at Rachel intently.

"No…" Rachel replied in confusion and rising concern, "How do you know?" she managed to ask through her burning throat.

"She arrived here with a fractured wrist, which had already been wrapped up and bandaged, and stitching in her stomach, which we had to remove in order to perform another surgery" the nurse explained, causing Rachel to stare at her with amazement and fear as the tears burning her throat started rising up.

"Surgery?" Rachel choked out in a small voice, feeling her body beginning to tremble. This could not be happening, not to Brooke. She had to be alright.

"Yes," the nurse nodded, "Brooke must have strained herself too much, which caused the stitches in her stomach to loosen up and the bleeding to start again" the nurse described the condition in which Brooke arrived, causing Rachel's heart to completely drop. She sniffled as she held back her tears and listened to the nurse as she continued explaining Brooke's condition, "The operators managed to stop the hemorrhaging and Brooke is currently resting in the recovery room. Her high temperature, which was acquired from the stress her body was in as a result of how much Brooke seemingly strained herself and from the amount of alcohol we found in her system, in an otherwise empty stomach, decreased and is currently stabilized. She is still very weak, though, so we will need to keep her here for a few more days" the nurse concluded, watching Rachel's face contort with pain as she struggled to process the gravity of Brooke's condition.

"Can I see her?" Rachel finally managed to ask through her tears, knowing that the only thing that could truly calm down her racing heart was to see Brooke with her own eyes and make sure that she was indeed better than how she was back at her apartment.

"Soon…" the nurse said, much to Rachel's disappointment. Seeing the red-headed's quivering lip and saddened eyes, she was quick to add, "The doctors are still in the recovery room with her, monitoring her condition, but as soon as your cousin will be moved over to her ward, I will come and get you, alright?" she promised, causing Rachel to nod her head, slightly encouraged. The nurse gave Rachel one last reassuring smile before going back to her other duties and leaving Rachel behind.

As soon as she was left alone again, Rachel collapsed onto the chair she had been sitting on in the waiting room and held her head in her hands, finally allowing the tears to freely stream out of her eyes. That evening, when she first walked into Brooke's apartment, she had intended to start making it all up to Brooke for everything she had done for her, but this most certainly was not the way she intended to do it. Not even in her worst nightmare did she dream that making it up to Brooke would literally mean saving her life.

As she thought back to the way she found her friend lifelessly sprawled out on her couch and realized what could have happened to her had she not come there on time, Rachel allowed the sobs that she had been holding in to fall out of her mouth and shake her body like rolls of thunder. She had almost lost Brooke that night. The one girl who had always believed in her, the one person who would, for some reason, always be willing to be there for her, despite all the ways she had messed up.

Even though Rachel felt completely helpless and scared at that moment, she promised herself that she would be strong for Brooke's sake. It was her time to step up and make it up to Brooke for everything, and even though this wasn't how she thought she would be doing it in the beginning of that day, this was how it was going to be.

_"Everything is gonna be O.K., Brooke"_, Rachel promised her friend in her heart as she wiped away her tears, _"I am going to be there for you, I promise…"_

* * *

**AN: I know I promised you some Brathan and Brachel in this chapter, but it will definitely come up next time. I simply got too caught up with the Pucas that it didn't leave any room for the next few scenes, in which Brooke, Rachel and Nathan are present. Once again- I apologize that they weren't in this chapter, but that just gives you something to look forward to, right? ;-)**

**I truly hope that the way I wrote the Pucas scene made sense. I was trying not to rush this, but I truly couldn't stand writing them as a couple anymore... lol... I'm just kidding... It made sense to me that a person could feel as Lucas did when he suddenly realized that Peyton isn't who he thought she was, and I really hope you guys felt the same... I would be glad if you let me know... I would like to stress, again, that this doesn't mean that Brucas will sail into the sunset happily ever after during the next chapter, as their reunion will definitely take time, but Pucas are officially over... ;-)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hi guys! Sorry it took me so long to update- I was just on vacation, so I couldn't post this chapter earlier... Without further delay- here it is, and it is packed with Brathan and Brachel, just like I promised, so I hope you guys will enjoy it! ;-) As always- please share your thoughts with me! ;-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 9**

Everything around her was completely dark. She didn't see any objects or people around her, just an endless dark space that prevented her from recognizing the place she was currently in. Flowing in a cloud of numbness, Brooke tried to open her eyes and move her arms, but even those two simple tasks were beyond her ability at the current moment. She was unable to feel, unable to move and unable to respond- simply like a lost soul hanging somewhere in space.

Brooke continued to lie in place, consumed by the great darkness that surrounded her, when suddenly the numbness began to slightly fade away as she felt the most gentle touch, like a stroke of a feather, gliding through her hair, and the darkness that had been engulfing her get penetrated by specks of light. The feeling was so nice and soothing that Brooke thought that she had reached somewhere new and better than the places she knew so far.

An incredible feeling of lightness and tranquility overcame Brooke as she felt the soft touch continuing to caress her carefully. The black sea in which she had been sailing so far soon brightened up, adding to the soothing sensation that Brooke was feeling. As she tried to open her eyes once again, she was now able to let them gently flutter and after a bit of a struggle, finally open them half-way.

Brooke stared around the white room that she was lying in, blinking due to its brightness. As her eyes adjusted to the light, she surveyed the ceiling, let her eyes move down the wall and suddenly stilled them as she spotted a figure that sat before her and stared at her. Brooke stared back for several seconds until her vision finally became sharpened and focused enough for her to recognize Rachel, who was stroking her hair with tears in her eyes, tears that started flowing much faster as she saw Brooke's dull hazel irises finally appear from underneath her heavy eyelids.

"Hi there," was all Rachel could say through her rising emotions. Had she been more composed, she would have probably teased Brooke with something along the lines of _'It's about time you drag your fat ass out of bed'_ or _'Nice of you to wake up, slut, you were starting to get me worried…'_, but she was truly so concerned for Brooke's wellbeing that any cynicism she would usually have flew right out the window. Rachel continued to softly stroke Brooke's hair as she watched her blink and look around in confusion.

"Rachel…" Brooke softly let the name roll out of her lips, "Are we dead?"

The genuine sincerity with which Brooke asked her question caused Rachel to start sobbing. Not only did she suddenly realize that Brooke had been so worried about her after she left Tree Hill, she was afraid that she had died, but she also understood that Brooke must have been aware of the gravity of her condition before slipping away and of the fact that she was at risk of not waking up.

"No, baby, you're gonna be O.K…." Rachel told Brooke in between sobs. As Brooke continued to blankly stare at her, Rachel took Brooke's uninjured, frail hand into both of her hands and squeezed it gently, "It will be alright now, Brooke. You're safe with me now. I promise…" Rachel swore as she held onto Brooke's hand securely, forcing herself to push her tears back.

Brooke let her eyes slip away from Rachel's flooded ones. She was actually disappointed that she had returned to the place where she needed to face all of her troubles again. When she first saw Rachel's face, she had been truly hoping that now she could forget about everything. "Where am I?" she finally asked, after a long, pensive silence, her eyes still hanging in space and avoiding Rachel's emotion-filled ones.

"You're in the Silver-Crest Hospital in New York, honey," Rachel sniffled and softly replied, bringing her hand back to Brooke's hair and smoothing it out soothingly. When Brooke failed to respond to this newly-acquired information, Rachel felt obligated to further explain, "I found you passed out in your apartment earlier tonight, Brooke. You must have been walking in the rain before you reached your apartment, and I guess that drinking too much didn't help you either…" Rachel carefully reminded Brooke of the state she had been in earlier that night, purposely choosing to leave out Brooke's earlier acquired and more serious injuries. She knew that she needed to receive some answers from Brooke, but decided to leave that confrontation with Brooke for another day, considering Brooke's current condition.

Rachel sighed as she studied Brooke's features and realized that she was processing the information that was given to her and remembering what she had been through that night. In an instant, a flash of pain ran through Brooke's bruised eyes and then she winced, obviously overcome by agony, and shut her eyes.

"Brooke?" Rachel immediately tensed up and looked at her friend worriedly. Her heart almost dropped as she realized that the frail brunette before her didn't only look banged up, but was also suffering from physical pain. Little did she know that Brooke's sore body was not the only thing affecting Brooke. The events of the past few days- Angie's departure, the attack, her defeat in the battle over her company and the feeling of betrayal from Lucas and Peyton, all entered her mind at once and hit her full force, causing her to feel as though someone just took a blow at her. Brooke felt as if her head was spinning and as though someone just punched her straight in the stomach. She squeezed her eyes shut as much as she could, considering their swollen state, and just wished she could make all the pain that she was feeling disappear.

"Brooke, are you alright?" Rachel asked, her voice sounding even more concerned and anxious than before. Even though Brooke didn't reply, Rachel sighed in relief as she saw Brooke's distressed features slowly easing their tension. She quickly wiped the few new tears that managed to escape from her eyes and roll down her cheeks and then proceeded to carefully run her hands through Brooke's hair in an attempt to sooth her troubled friend, which soon proved to be successful, as Brooke's pale face gradually regained its color and her eyes fluttered open once again.

Both girls just remained silent; the first- staring at her friend intently and wishing she could go inside her head and learn what was troubling her, while the other simply wished that she could disappear into thin air along with all the hardships that had been finding their way to her lately. She had no strength left to fight, nor did she see what she had left to fight for.

"Why did you bring me here, Rachel?" Brooke finally spoke, her emotionless tone taking Rachel by surprise. Rachel stared at her in shock for several seconds before she could find her voice and speak again.

"Brooke… Honey, I told you already…" she patiently reminded her friend, unable to mask her slight confusion, "You were unconscious and barely breathing… You seriously needed medical care," she explained. As she searched for Brooke's eyes, which were still hanging in space, Rachel suddenly remembered how much Brooke hated hospitals and felt the need to apologetically add, "I had no choice, Brooke. You were in pretty bad shape…"

"You shouldn't have brought me here" Brooke coldly stated, her lack of emotion was now not only frightening Rachel, but beginning to piss her off.

"You could have bled to death! I probably saved your life tonight, Brooke!" Rachel exclaimed, not understanding how Brooke could have said that.

"I wish you hadn't…" Brooke quietly replied, causing Rachel's heart to freeze. Rachel's eyes starting welling up with tears again as she watched Brooke turn her back to her and face the wall, only now realizing just how broken Brooke Davis had become…

* * *

"Where is she?" Rachel's head shot up as she heard the familiar masculine voice calling out with urgency from afar. It was the middle of the night and she had fallen asleep in the waiting room to which she had been directed when Brooke's doctors came over for a checkup, but Nathan's low, worried voice instantly woke her up.

"Sir, you're going to have to calm down…" Rachel heard a nurse respond to Nathan strictly. She quickly sprang to her feet and rushed over to the source of the voices, wanting to help out before the argument could get even more heated up.

"Look, lady- my friend was rushed over here tonight…" Nathan raised his voice with anger and tension, but the nurse, who was getting impatient, cut into his speech.

"Sir, either you keep your voice down or I will call security" the nurse threatened, effectively silencing Nathan up. Just as she was about to continue to speak, Rachel finally reached the two.

"Nathan," she called out, causing him to turn and face her. His nervous and worried expression turned sad and compassionate the moment he saw what a mess Rachel was with her red, swollen eyes, tangled hair and trembling lips. Without even thinking, Nathan pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly out of a need to comfort both her and himself. She might not have been one of his close friends, but he truly couldn't stay indifferent to how upset she looked and personally needed some support after the long and nerve-wrecking day he had been through.

"She's gonna be O.K…. The doctors want to leave her here for a few more days, but they say that she's gonna be O.K…." Rachel informed Nathan in a shaky voice, gripping onto his shoulders tightly.

"Thank god…" Nathan closed his eyes and let out a sigh of relief. Throughout the entire flight, he had been preparing himself for a variety of different conditions in which he might find Brooke, so hearing that she was out of any life-threatening danger was just what Nathan needed. However, when he realized that Rachel's body was beginning to shake in his arms, he frowned and pulled her away from him, so he could look at her face.

Rachel tried to smile at first, ashamed of the way her emotions were overpowering her as a result of Nathan's familiar and supportive presence, but as she felt his hand securely and comfortingly grabbing onto her shoulder, as if urging her to speak, she couldn't help but let both a loud sob and her thoughts out, "They said that if I wouldn't have gotten to Brooke when I did… that if I wouldn't have reached her on time… that she could have…" Rachel struggled to complete her sentence as the sobs wracked her body and choked her throat, but Nathan understood just what she had been trying to tell him and felt his stomach drop at the thought of what could have happened if Rachel hadn't gone over to Brooke's apartment that night. He quickly buried Rachel's form into his embrace again and comfortingly rocked her in his strong arms.

"You can't think about that, Rachel" he told her sternly, "The important thing is that Brooke is here now, and trust me- I won't leave her side until she is well again" Nathan vowed, fully intending to keep his promise this time. He knew that Brooke was lucky enough to have gotten out of the dangerous condition she was in for a second time, and most certainly wasn't intending to allow her to tease fate a third time.

"I know," Rachel whimpered, forcefully suppressing her sobs, "But Brooke… She's just so… defeated… that I don't know how to help her," Rachel shakily told Nathan, pulling apart from him and beginning to nervously pace before him, "And I don't even know what I'm dealing with… I mean- did she fall? Did she get into a fight? Did she…"

"Rachel," Nathan grabbed onto Rachel's shoulders and halted her tense stride and concerned rambling. When her eyes met his, he quietly told her, "Brooke was attacked"

"What?!" Rachel felt her mouth completely dry in an instant as her legs suddenly grew weak. Nathan, who observed the effect his words had on Rachel, quickly helped her sit down on one of the hallway's chairs.

"Someone broke into Brooke's store while she was there and attacked her." Nathan explained, watching Rachel's eyes widen in horror.

"Wh… When?... How?... Was he caught?" Rachel blurted out in shock, obviously completely horrified to learn what Brooke had been through.

"Why don't we go get some coffee and then I can tell you everything that I know and you can tell me everything the doctors told you… We still have a lot of time to kill until visiting hours start…" Nathan offered, knowing that he needed a decent cup of coffee before he could start reliving the horrible events of the night of the attack. Rachel nodded in agreement, knowing that she needed a decent drink as well before she could go into the specifics of Brooke's condition.

The two of them rose to their feet and walked over to the hospital cafeteria in silence, knowing that they would have plenty of time to talk later. Not in a million years did either Nathan or Rachel imagine that they would spend that entire night together, talking to each other, but they did, for the sake of their dear friend. They did, because they were both determined to look after Brooke and be there for her in this time of need…

* * *

The minute that visiting hours began, at 8 AM sharp, Nathan was quickly and angrily striding towards Brooke's room in the general ward, with Rachel racing after him, close behind him. After Rachel had told him that Brooke had said to her that she wished she wouldn't have saved her, he became quite angry, but when she added in the fact that she found Brooke passed out with a vodka bottle in her hand, Nathan's blood simply boiled in his veins. He just couldn't believe how irresponsible and careless Brooke had been. He just couldn't understand how she dared to gamble her life away when there were so many people who loved her and cared about her so much.

"Nathan…" Rachel called out after him, breathing heavily due to the quick speed she had to maintain in order to keep up with Nathan's speedy pace, "Maybe you should calm down before you go to see Brooke…" Rachel suggested, concerned about the consequences an encounter between an angry Nathan and a stubborn, emotionless Brooke could have.

"Hell no. She is going to listen to what I have to tell her right now!" Nathan furiously replied, only picking up his pace and causing a frustrated Rachel to groan as she started running in order to narrow down the gap that Nathan was creating between them. Her efforts were in vain though, as Nathan soon disappeared from her sight, leaving her to race after him and pray that in the few moments that he would be left alone with Brooke, the two brunettes would not bite each other's heads off.

As soon as Nathan entered Brooke's room, he found her lying on her side, facing the wall with her back to him. He stared at Brooke curled up under the hospital blankets, and became truly enraged as he mused over the fact that her foolish actions could have cost Brooke her life and prevented her from lying there before him now. With that thought carved deeply in his mind, Nathan marched over to Brooke's bed, intending to lecture her for the scare she gave them and for her irresponsible behavior.

"Brooke!" Nathan placed his hand on Brooke's shoulder, intending to turn her over, so she could face him, but at the instant that his fingers touched her skin, Brooke yelped and pulled away from his touch. She whirled over, clutching her blanket in her hands, and stared at Nathan with pure fear in her eyes.

At the moment that he locked eyes with those terrified hazel orbs, all of Nathan's anger faded and was replaced with concern and care. Just by looking at her, Nathan understood how lost Brooke was, and could only feel sad for her, and not angry at all. He carefully approached her, refraining from touching her trembling body, and soothingly spoke.

"Brooke, I'm sorry… I didn't mean to scare you," he apologized, looking at the frightened woman before him with remorse and sorrow. It simply broke his heart to see just how deeply Brooke had been affected by the attack. When Brooke just continued staring at him and failed to respond, Nathan took one more step towards her and looked deeply into her eyes, "Brooke, it's me… I swear I'm not gonna hurt you" he promised. He carefully brought his hand up to Brooke's shaking shoulder and gently cupped it with his palm. Brooke slightly flinched but didn't draw away from Nathan's touch this time. Nathan sadly looked at her as she blinked and shifted her gaze over to the ground, trying to hide her vulnerability away.

"Why did you come, Nate?" Brooke quietly asked, if even possible- breaking Nathan's heart even more.

"I came because I was worried about you and because I promised you I would be there for you…" Nathan immediately replied, squeezing Brooke's shoulder gently, wanting to convey to her that he was there to support her. As the fragile brunette before him continued to stare at the floor with glassy eyes, Nathan frowned, realizing that there was something even more broken about her than at the last time he had seen her.

"Brooke, what happened today?" he gently asked her, looking at her intently, yet Brooke didn't even seem to acknowledge that he had spoken to her. He carefully began to stroke up and down her arms, as if attempting to help Brooke warm up to him, and tried again, "We were so worried about you… Where did you go, Brooke?" but Brooke once again failed to respond. She just sat there, holding her blanket tightly to her chest and feeling completely detached from Nathan. Brooke knew that he wouldn't understand how she felt. Even though he was there with her now, Brooke still felt completely alone. She felt as though Nathan was sitting by her bed purely from pity, and preferred that he would simply go away.

"Brooke, please talk to me… You're starting to get me really worried" Nathan pleaded, unable to stand Brooke's disturbing silence for any longer.

"Go home, Nate" Brooke sighed and said without even glancing at Nathan. She felt as though there was no use for Nathan's attempts to help her out, as she was shattered beyond repair, yet Nathan wasn't planning on giving up so soon.

"Pretty soon I will, but I'm taking you with me" he told Brooke in a serious tone, wanting to show her that he wasn't about to leave her behind. He watched Brooke slightly shift on her bed and inch away from him and after sighing sadly, he said, "We're gonna get through this, Brooke. I won't give up on you"

Brooke didn't say anything, but shied away from his touch when Nathan tried to pull her in for a friendly hug.

"Brooke…" he said with frustration and sadness, but all the brunette did was pull her blanket to her chest more tightly and lower her gaze even more. Nathan ran his hand through his hair in defeat, not knowing what else to do in order to try to get through to his friend. He suddenly wished that Haley had come with him, for she would always know what to do or say in cases like this.

Nathan let out a relieved sigh when the door opened, and even though she wasn't Haley, Rachel came in and helped the tightness in his chest ease slightly as he was reminded that he wasn't in this alone. Little did Nathan know that she had been watching him and Brooke from outside the room for a while, having wanted to give the two friends a few moments alone, and had decided to come in as she saw how desperate he had become.

"Nathan, why don't we let Brooke rest a little" Rachel gently suggested, approaching Brooke carefully, "Brooke, sweetie…" Rachel wanted to help Brooke ease into a horizontal position, but Brooke already slid onto her side on her own, turning her back to her two friends.

Rachel and Nathan shared a concerned look, which Rachel finally broke when she came up to Brooke's bed and, as carefully as she could, placed a hand on the brunette's back, yet still caused her to flinch.

"We're not going anywhere, Brooke" Rachel sincerely promised Brooke as she gently stroked her back and looked at her with sad eyes. Brooke didn't say a word but just closed her eyes and tried to block everything away, as even with Rachel and Nathan around, she still felt completely and utterly alone…

* * *

**AN: Alright, I hope you guys liked this chapter. I know that there was no Lucas and that all of you must already want to kill me for the lack of Brucas, but I promise you that I am not teasing you when I tell you that it's coming up! This is all for this time! ;-)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hi guys! Unfortunately I'm going into a busy period, so I don't know how often I will be able to keep updating. I would like to say that once a week is my goal, but I think that once in a week and a half or two is more realistic... Please don't lose faith in this, though, as I promise to continue this story despite the pressure that I'm about to face.**

**For all of you who have been enjoying Rachel and Nathan's presence- this chapter has a lot of both, especially for you! So as always, I hope that you'll enjoy this, and please tell me what you think, because your reviews motivate me to keep writing! ;-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 10**

The silence in Brooke's room was becoming truly unbearable for Rachel. It was afternoon already, and even though she and Nathan had spent the entire day by Brooke's bedside, trying to encourage and strengthen her, Brooke had barely spoken ten short and quiet sentences to them. She had only risen from her bed once, supported firmly by Nathan's strong arms, to use the restrooms, and returned straight back to her former position- lying on her side, facing the wall and staring at it blankly. Even though the doctor had encouraged Brooke to slowly start eating again, in order to help her digestive system start working independently again, Brooke had refused to touch anything the nurses brought over for her. Nathan, who couldn't stand sitting in Brooke's room without doing anything to help her, had left the room a half an hour earlier, leaving Rachel to sit alone by their lost, hollow-eyed friend, and that's how she still remained thirty minutes after he left, looking at Brooke helplessly and wishing that she knew the right words or actions that needed to be done in order to heal her hurting friend.

Rachel sighed as she stared at Brooke's fragile, slightly trembling back. She didn't want to push Brooke, but realized that she needed to find a way to get through to her quickly. It seemed as though Brooke was shutting herself out more and more, and Rachel most certainly wasn't willing to wait until it would be too late to save Brooke in order to take action. Even though she didn't really know how to deal with a defeated Brooke, Rachel was determined to try her best and do whatever it would take in order to bring her friend back to her.

Rachel took a deep breath and then slowly rose from her seat and carefully eased herself onto Brooke's bed. She saw Brooke's shoulders tensing slightly with discomfort and gently placed her hand over one of them.

"Brooke, sweetie…" Rachel softly stroked Brooke's shoulder as she spoke, "Can we talk?" Rachel asked in a quiet tone. Upon receiving no response from the silent brunette, Rachel softly added, "Please?"

Something in the desperate tone with which Rachel had spoken her last word finally caused Brooke to turn around from the wall and over to Rachel. She carefully positioned herself on her back and glanced up at the red-head, immediately lowering her eyes away as she was met with Rachel's emotion-filled eyes.

"Brooke, I know that I'm not the best listener in the world, but I think that it would be good for you to talk about what happened" Rachel carefully suggested. It was truly odd for her to feel this nervous about speaking to Brooke, but she felt like the wrong choice of words could potentially break the fragile brunette before her. Rachel sighed as she observed Brooke blinking, as though trying to push away the vulnerability and pain that started to form in her eyes. She was just about to try to encourage Brooke to speak once again when Brooke finally opened her mouth and softly replied.

"What do you mean?" Brooke asked in a little voice, clearly trying to avoid Rachel's question, yet Rachel was determined to pull Brooke out of the shell that she had been building around herself and therefore did not let go of the matter.

"I mean what happened to you before I found you… I mean how you got all those bruises…" Rachel gently brushed her thumb across several of the bruises on Brooke's cheek as she tried to guide her into talking about the attack.

Brooke slightly flinched as Rachel's delicate fingers touched the aching, swollen parts of her skin. She drew away from Rachel's touch, but upon realizing that the red-head was still staring at her intently, she averted her gaze over to the floor and pushed herself into quietly saying, "I fell…"

Rachel silently stared at Brooke for several minutes, feeling her heart breaking as she heard the shame which Brooke's tone was laced with. "Honey, I know about the attack," she finally replied to Brooke, grabbing onto Brooke's uninjured hand as Brooke started to shrug away from her, "And it wasn't your fault" she stressed in a strong voice, trying to make her words get through to Brooke.

"Nathan told you?" Brooke asked in response, suddenly feeling weak and vulnerable with the way that Rachel was looking at her. Deep down, she knew that Rachel's pained expression was one of compassion and care, but at that moment, she felt as though Rachel was pitying her, and it made her feel disgusted with herself that she actually couldn't handle this situation on her own.

"Yes, he did, Brooke, and I'm glad he did, because now I can help you" Rachel told Brooke, giving her hand yet another squeeze before the brunette managed to pull her hand out of Rachel's reach.

"No, you can't."

The defeat in Brooke's voice completely shattered Rachel's heart. She started at the detached girl that lay before her and searched her swollen, glassy eyes for a hint of the usual hazel, soulful gaze that they would shine. She was torn to find nothing but a blank expression lost in space instead. Realizing that she needed to do something, Rachel took a deep breath and fiercely spoke, "Yes, I can help, Brooke, and I will."

"No one can help me…" Brooke mumbled under her breath, but Rachel clearly heard what she had said. She sadly watched Brooke as she rolled back onto her side, turning her back to Rachel once again.

"Brooke…" Rachel put her hand on Brooke's back in an attempt to reach out to her, but she could only feel Brooke's back stiffening in response. Not knowing what else to do, Rachel drew her hand away from Brooke's body and just stared at her, contemplating what to do. It was as though Brooke had admitted defeat and given up fighting and Rachel truly didn't know what to say in order to show Brooke that she still had a lot to fight for in her life.

Luckily for Rachel, Nathan had just walked into the room, carrying a bag full of food from the hospital's cafeteria. He broke the uncomfortable silence that had spread in the room as he approached Brooke and announced, "Brooke- it's time to eat! I've brought you all sorts of things, so take a look and choose what you want."

As Nathan opened the bag and started to take out the food containers that he had stacked inside it, Brooke didn't even budge. Realizing that he needed be more persuasive with Brooke, Nathan came up to her bed and gently tapped on her shoulder, "Brooke, come on…" he said.

"I'm not hungry…" Brooke softly replied, not tearing her distant gaze off of the wall. She just couldn't do any of it anymore- she couldn't keep going as if she had faith that things would get better, she couldn't go back to live her life as if it still had a meaning to her, and she couldn't fight as if she still had something worth fighting for. She just wanted Rachel and Nathan to leave her alone and forget about her, so she could simply disappear and stop hurting.

As Nathan observed the expressionless look in Brooke's eyes and the helpless one in Rachel's eyes, he sighed, knowing that he was about to fight with Brooke Davis, but realizing that he simply couldn't avoid the struggle that he was about to enter, as Brooke was simply slipping away from him more and more and would be completely lost if he didn't do something about it quickly.

"That doesn't matter, Brooke- you've got to eat!" Nathan told Brooke in an uncompromising tone. He firmly grasped Brooke's tensed up body and carefully pulled her into a sitting position. "Now, either you tell me what you want, or I'll pick something for you, but either way- you're gonna eat, even if I have to feed you myself!" Nathan said to Brooke, his strong voice not leaving any room for arguments. As Brooke simply sat where Nathan placed her and stared down at her hands, Nathan understood that she wasn't going to make things easy for him. She was simply too broken for that.

"Fine… We'll have it your way…" Nathan told Brooke. He turned over to the containers that he had brought and was just about to bring one of them to Brooke when her strained voice caused him to freeze.

"Why are you still here, Nate?" Nathan could almost physically feel his heart breaking as he heard how lost Brooke sounded, but by the time he turned to face Brooke, he pushed down all of his emotions in order to give Brooke a determined look and be strong for her.

"Brooke, I already told you that I'm not going anywhere!" he slightly raised his voice, hoping that it would help to get through to Brooke. When he saw that Brooke didn't respond and remained spaced out, he let his emotions get the better of him and continued, "You want to know why I'm still here? Quentin Fields' funeral was held today, and even though Jamie was really close to him, I'm here with you today and not with him because I care about you! I'm here with you because I promised Haley that I would look after her best friend! I'm here because I swore to Jamie that his aunt Brooke, unlike Quentin, will come back to him! And I'm here because after we lost Quentin, I couldn't bear to lose you too!" Nathan concluded his heartfelt speech and only then realized that Brooke had tears welling up in her eyes, tears that started streaming down her face once he finished speaking. "Brooke…" Nathan paled as he looked at her crying before him, realizing that he had come onto her too strongly. He was about to apologize for being so harsh and direct, but Brooke's raspy voice beat him to it.

"I'm sorry, Nate…" Brooke whimpered and then buried her face in her hands and started to cry. Nathan had finally managed to get through to her as he shared with her what he, Haley and Jamie had been through and caused her to feel really guilty about burdening them even more when they had such a great loss to deal with. As Jamie's smiling face flashed in her mind, Brooke started to sob loudly, realizing how miserable she could have made the little boy she loved so much if she would have given up on herself. For the sake of Jamie's love, Brooke realized that she needed to be strong and keep fighting. She couldn't selfishly give up now, when Jamie needed her to be strong for him, when he had already lost enough.

"Hey, don't cry…" Nathan pleaded with Brooke, unable to bear the sight of her sobbing in front of him. He understood that Brooke's tears meant that he had finally gotten to her and broken the walls that Brooke had built around herself, but couldn't stand to see her crying, nonetheless. He carefully wrapped his arms around the shaking brunette and pulled her to him as Rachel began to soothingly stroke her back.

"Shh… It's O.K., Brooke… We will get through this, I promise…" he whispered to Brooke as he rocked her in his arms, trying to make her tears stop. When Brooke's sobs only grew stronger, Nathan sadly glanced over at Rachel and realized that tears were silently flowing down her face as well. He averted his gaze back over to Brooke and suddenly felt her grabbing onto him too. She was holding onto him so strongly that Nathan understood that he needed to help her feel safe, help her feel as though she wouldn't fall because he would catch her.

"Hey… It's gonna be alright, Brooke… I'm right here…" he soothingly told her, tightening his grip on the trembling girl in his arms. When more choked-up, hoarse sobs wracked Brooke's body, Nathan closed his eyes sadly. He knew that Brooke was letting out everything that she had kept inside since she had been so brutally attacked, and just wished more than anything that Brooke could talk instead of letting out such heartbreaking sobs, but knew that it would be nearly impossible for her to speak in her emotional state. Therefore, when Brooke had actually spoken, Nathan was truly taken by surprise, especially considering what she had to say.

"Please don't tell Lucas and Peyton…" Brooke managed to fit the choked out sentence in between her cries.

Nathan and Rachel shared a confused look before Rachel blurted out, "What did those two knuckle-heads do this time?" Much to Rachel's dismay, instead of answering her, Brooke had only broken into another round of even louder sobs.

"I'm sorry… I'm sorry, don't cry, baby…" Rachel begged Brooke, feeling truly guilty for the effect her words had on Brooke. Once she would encounter Lucas or Peyton, Rachel made a mental note to kick their butts for hurting Brooke, but right now she wasn't going to mention either one of the blonds for Brooke's sake. Right now she was just going to be there for her friend, as Brooke had done to her so many times.

Careful to refrain from hurting or startling Brooke, Rachel gently wrapped her arms around her sobbing friend and attached herself to Brooke's back, trapping her in a sandwich hug between herself and Nathan. The three of them remained in this friendly, supportive embrace long after Brooke's sobs ceased. Rachel and Nathan only let go of Brooke once they felt her breaths evening out and glanced down at her to find her sound asleep, looking peaceful for the first time in a while…

* * *

"Hello?" Haley's voice sounded so exhausted and emotionally drained that Nathan immediately felt his heart twitching in his chest. He truly wished that he wouldn't have needed to leave her at a time like this, but after witnessing Brooke's emotional breakdown that afternoon, Nathan realized just how important it was that he stayed by Brooke's side.

"Hi baby, how are you holding up?" Nathan softly asked his wife.

"Nate! Please tell me that Brooke is O.K.!" Haley pleaded with him at the instant that she heard his voice. Even though she had attended a funeral that morning and needed to support her fifteen-year-old students and five-year-old son, her mind was still occupied with thoughts of Brooke throughout that day and she kept praying that Brooke, as opposed to Quentin, could still be saved.

"She's gonna be alright," Nathan quickly replied, realizing how concerned Haley must have been. As he glanced at Brooke through her room's window and watched Rachel stroking her hair gently as she slept, he quietly added, "She's gonna need a lot of help, Hales, but she'll be O.K." he reassured Haley.

"Thank god…" Haley replied, letting out a sigh of relief, "You have no idea how worried Jamie and I were!" she shared.

"How are the two of you doing, Hales?" Nathan asked with care and concern. He knew for sure that the day that his young son and big-hearted wife had gone through had been tough, and wanted to hear if his loved ones were hanging in there without him.

"I'm fine and Jamie's one strong little boy…" Haley sighed, thinking about the mature and brave way that Jamie had dealt with this great loss. "He won't stop asking about Brooke, though… I think that he's afraid to lose her too…"

"Tell him that Brooke will be just fine and will come home really soon" Nathan guided his wife, wanting to help her calm their son down.

"Is there any chance that you know when that will be?" Haley asked, eager to see her dear friend and to get her husband back.

"She's been getting stronger, so I'm hoping that in a couple of days…" Nathan told Haley.

"That will be great! I'll make sure that the guest bedroom will be ready for her by then…" Haley thought out loud, and upon hearing nothing but Nathan's deep breaths from the other side of the line, she added, "God, I can't wait for you to get back home, Nathan…"

"Neither can I, Hales, I miss you already…" he revealed, putting a smile on Haley's face.

"I miss you too" Haley responded, causing Nathan to grin. He turned to look at Brooke and Rachel once again, and got caught up in the sight of the red-head taking care of the sleeping brunette. As he acknowledged how helpful Rachel had been throughout the entire day he had gone through, Nathan suddenly realized what he needed to do for Brooke's sake.

"Hales, baby" he hesitantly started, knowing already that she wasn't going to like what he was about to ask, "I was wondering how you would feel about Rachel coming to live for us for a little while, until Brooke can get back up on her feet…"

"Are you serious?" Haley slightly raised her voice with displeasure. When Nathan remained silent, she understood that he indeed meant what he had said. She sighed and reluctantly asked, "That's what Brooke wants?"

"A few hours ago, Brooke seemed to want us to leave her alone and right now she doesn't appear to know what she wants at all…" Nathan explained to Haley, trying to help her understand the situation. When he just heard Haley sigh, Nathan glanced back over at the two girls and added, "Hales, Brooke is gonna need all the support she can get and Rachel seems to be helping her out. I know that you and Rachel didn't get along in the past, but she's not who she used to be in high-school. None of us are… She took control of her life and now she just seems to be the good friend that Brooke needs…" Nathan couldn't believe that he was actually defending Rachel to his wife, but he couldn't argue with how much Rachel had undoubtedly changed and grown, and how good she had been to Brooke. Apparently, his little speech had managed to convince Haley as well, as she sighed in defeat and reluctantly agreed.

"Alright, Nate, but I'm giving her one chance, and if she blows it- I'm kicking her out!" Haley set her term, causing Nathan to grin.

"Fair enough" he told her approvingly.

"And it will be your fault, because this was your idea!" she gave Nathan her other condition, causing him to chuckle out loud now.

"Deal!" Nathan declared and then softened his voice and honestly said, "Thank you for doing this for Brooke, Haley. You have the biggest heart in the world…"

"A heart that is going to explode if you and Lucas won't come back home soon!" Haley pouted and then added, "It's been so lonely here today. Thank god for Jamie…"

As Nathan heard his wife mentioning his brother's name, he tensed, remembering Brooke's request and how upset she had gotten upon thinking about the brooding blond. "Hales, there's actually one more thing I need to ask you…" he sincerely said.

"I hope that it doesn't involve another guest, because I don't plan on turning our house into a shelter…" Haley joked, but grew silent as she understood that Nathan was serious.

"Brooke doesn't want Lucas or Peyton to know about what happened to her" Nathan shared Brooke's request with his wife, who was just as surprised as he had been upon learning what Brooke had asked for.

"She said that?" Haley mused out loud in confusion, "Did she tell you why?" she wondered.

"She didn't, but it's clear that she feels hurt by them…" Nathan told Haley what he had observed, "We'll have plenty of time to figure this out when Brooke is better, though…" he assured Haley.

"Yeah…" she agreed with a yawn, feeling the exhaustion from the long, emotional day she had gone through finally getting to her.

"Alright, baby… Get some sleep and we'll talk tomorrow" Nathan soothingly said to Haley as he picked up on how tired she was, "Good night, Hales" he said to her with a smile.

"Good night, Nathan…" Haley sleepily replied, hanging up the phone and heading upstairs.

Haley exhaustedly smiled to herself as thoughts of her warm, cozy bed came into mind. She ascended the steps as quickly as her tired legs could carry her, and upon reaching the last one, frowned as she heard someone knocking on the door.

"It's too late for a visit…" Haley grumbled as she reluctantly walked back downstairs, rubbing her eyes tiredly as she walked. She glanced through the peep-hole, and upon seeing the man who stood before her door, gasped and shook her head with disbelief.

Swinging the door open with one hand and putting the other on her hip, Haley coldly greeted her guest- "Hello, Lucas…"

* * *

**AN: As I promised, Lucas is back in the picture, now that he's back in Tree Hill, but he's definitely in for a hard time from his friends, who are totally "Team Brooke"! ;-) That's all until next time! ;-)**


	11. Chapter 11

**O.K., so with everything going on and with how busy I've been, I still worked on this chapter, so I hope it didn't effect the quality of my writing and that you'll enjoy it anyway... I want to send all of my lovely reviewers a big hug and a huge apology that I haven't responded to their reviews, as I always do. I really didn't have the time to breathe this week, but that still doesn't mean that I don't appreciate your feedback, because that's what's keeping this story alive! In the mess that I've been, I would have seriously stopped writing without your reviews, so please keep sending them to me if you enjoy this... Anyway- this is my new chapter- I really hope that you will like it! ;-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 11**

"So- to what do I owe the pleasure of meeting with the famous Lucas Scott nowadays?" Haley asked a dumbfounded Lucas, who simply stared at her in silence, taken aback by the anger and disapproval in Haley's tone.

"Haley…" he approached her slowly, trying to soften her up, but the squinty, apologetic expression in his eyes only set Haley off. She realized that Lucas must have known that he had done something wrong, which gave her even more legitimacy to blow up at him.

"Do you know how worried you made me, Luke? You were gone for days! You didn't even bother telling me that you were leaving and every time I tried to call you, there would be no answer on your cell-phone!" Haley let out all the aggravation and tension that had been building up inside of her throughout the tough day that she had faced on her own.

"I left you a message…" Lucas tried to argue, but immediately regretted having spoken, as Haley's features filled with fury.

"So you think that this one message makes your disappearance O.K.?" Haley exclaimed, "I had enough to deal with those past few days, but instead of being completely focused on my son and students, I had to worry about my best friend, who had gone M.I.A!" Haley raised her voice even more, "Lucas- I tried to reach you so many times- what was so important that you had to vanish and be unreachable for?" she demanded to know.

"Look, Hales, I'm really sorry! I know it's gonna sound lame, but Peyton had my phone and she told me that…"

"Damn it, Luke! We needed you here! Jamie needed you here!" Haley burst out and said. After dealing with Quentin's death alone throughout that entire day, everything she had held down inside came out on Lucas.

"What are you talking about, Haley? What happened?" Lucas immediately asked with concern. As Haley took a deep breath, preparing herself to share the bad news regarding Quentin, Lucas' face paled. He understood that Haley was about to tell him something upsetting, and his mind immediately flashed back to the image of Brooke from Las Vegas. "Is it Brooke?" he worriedly asked, just as Haley was about to notify him of Quentin's death.

"I am not going to talk to you about Brooke!" Haley coldly announced. She knew that she was being harsh towards Lucas, but frankly believed that he deserved to be given the cold shoulder after his absence, and was certainly going to respect Brooke's sole request, after everything she had been through, especially considering the fact that she was still mad at Lucas for ignoring Brooke's phone-calls.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lucas innocently questioned, "Look, Haley, all I did was leave for a few days and now I come back and Brooke's not in her house and you're all mad at me… What's going on?" he asked. Haley sighed, realizing that Lucas was truly completely clueless about what was going on.

"Look, when Brooke comes back, she can explain it to you if she wants" Haley replied.

"But…" Lucas tried to argue, but upon realizing that Haley wasn't going to budge from her refusal, he sighed and raised his hands in defeat, "Alright… I will talk to Brooke…"

"Good…" Haley nodded, "Now, since you're already here, you might as well come in. There's something that you need to know…" she told him and then started walking towards the living room, leaving Lucas no choice but to close the door and follow her. He seated himself across from Haley and stared at her, feeling his heart starting to race as Haley remained silent as she tried to find the right words to tell him about the tragedy that had occurred while he was away.

"Hales, you're starting to scare me… What happened?" he nervously asked as his heartbeats grew stronger and quicker.

"Quentin died yesterday" Haley quietly informed Lucas, yet despite her soft tone, her words were like bricks weighting down Lucas' heart. He immediately paled and put his hand up to his chest, feeling as though his heart had dropped to the floor.

"Luke?" Haley worriedly looked at him. When she saw him slightly wincing, she rushed over to the kitchen and quickly brought him a glass of water. "Come on, Lucas, don't pass out on me…" Haley mumbled as she closed Lucas' shaking fingers around the glass and helped him drink the water. Her anger immediately vanished as she was reminded of Lucas' fragile and overall-golden heart. As she studied the vulnerable-looking boy before her, Haley instantly knew that he couldn't have avoided her and Brooke on purpose, and was beginning to think that her anger should be directed towards a different blond than the one facing her.

Haley continued to study Lucas worriedly and let out a deep breath when she finally saw the color returning to his face. When she noticed that he seemed to remain in shock, though, Haley put her hand on Lucas' shoulder and gently called out, "Luke?"

"What are you talking about, Haley?" Lucas breathed out, staring at her with emotion-filled eyes. When Haley sighed sadly in response, the anger that was floating amongst the other emotions in Lucas' eyes surfaced above the other emotions and clouded his eyes. "How?" he demanded to know.

"Someone shot him, Luke" Haley gently replied and observed the fury taking over Lucas. Before she could react, Lucas rose to his feet and kicked the sofa he had been sitting on.

"Lucas…" Haley rose up to him. She was weary of comforting people when she truly needed comfort herself, but she could never remain indifferent to the agitated, guilt-filled expression that was plastered over Lucas' face.

"I should have been there… I should have saved him…" the anger and guilt were speaking out of Lucas' mouth.

"You couldn't have saved him, Lucas…" Haley sighed, not wanting Lucas to be burdened with self-blame. When Lucas lifted eyes full of sadness, disbelief and shame up to Haley, she came up to him and put her hand on his shoulder. "You can't save Quentin now, Lucas. He's gone… But you can still save those who are still here who are in need of saving. You just have to look around…" she softly guided Lucas, sending him a reassuring smile.

"Where's Brooke, Haley?" Lucas immediately tensed up and questioned, looking at her with alert, nervous eyes. To him, there was no question that Haley was talking about Brooke, and Haley's tip filled him with the immediate need to find Brooke and make sure that she's safe.

"She'll be home in a few days, Luke" Haley calmingly replied, causing Lucas to sigh as he realized that Haley wasn't about to share any more information regarding Brooke with him.

"Haley, please…" he made yet another attempt, but Haley just shook her head.

"Lucas, I'm sorry…" Haley began, but Lucas quickly cut her off.

"I know that something's wrong, Haley, alright? I saw her in Vegas, and it was clear that something had had happened to her, so I need you to tell me what's going on with her!" Lucas pleaded, but Haley had blocked out half of what he had said, amazed by the new information that had reached her ears.

"You saw Brooke in Vegas?!" Haley raised her eyebrows and questioned with disbelief. She couldn't understand how Brooke, in her frail condition, could have crossed the country back and forth, and as she stared at Lucas in amazement, suddenly Brooke's need for hospitalization acquired a new meaning.

"What have you done to her, Lucas?" Haley snapped, causing Lucas to stare at her in shock. She suddenly realized that Lucas knew more than he was letting on and wasn't as innocent or clueless as he seemed.

"What?!" Lucas raised his voice, completely taken aback by Haley's accusation. He couldn't believe that Haley would think that he had hurt Brooke, even though as he thought back to how broken Brooke had seemed when he had last seen her, Lucas was starting to think that maybe he had done something wrong; maybe he truly was part of the reason for the lost girl he had seen.

"What the hell have you done to her, Luke?!" Haley repeated angrily, raising her voice slightly more. The suppressed anger she felt when she first saw Lucas resurfaced and buried her compassion for him deep down.

"I didn't do anything to Brooke! What the hell is going on, Haley?" Lucas retorted, starting to grow impatient.

"Maybe you're the one who should be explaining that, considering everything you seem to know!" Haley snapped, causing Lucas to lose his calm.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" he shouted, turning their argument into a loud, heated one.

"Don't play dumb with me, Lucas!" Haley replied, truly annoyed by now. She was angry at Lucas as it was, for disappearing, that the last thing she needed, when she was dying to finally go to bed and get some sleep, was for him to stand in her living room and yell at her.

"What the hell, Haley?!"

"Oh, this is just classic! You disappear for days, don't answer your phone the whole time, come back and tell me that you saw Brooke in Vegas, and you ask me what the hell?!"

"All I asked was what is going on with Brooke!"

"And I told you that she'll be home in a few days. In the mean time, I suggest that you'll do something productive. Try helping Quentin's family, for an instance…"

"I will, but I need you to tell me what's wrong with Brooke!"

"No!"

"Haley!"

"Momma!" Haley and Lucas' yelling match finally came to an end as Jamie's upset voice called out to Haley. She and Lucas stood in their places in silence for a moment, still breathing heavily due to how loudly they had been shouting. When Haley finally spoke again, her voice was quiet, but the tone that it wore and the glare in her eyes showed Lucas just how mad she still was.

"Thanks a lot, Luke… It took me an entire hour to get Jamie to fall asleep and now he's awake again. I guess I won't be getting any sleep tonight…" she said and turned around in order to head upstairs.

"Haley…" Lucas called after her apologetically, but Haley just shook her head and continued slowly walking up to Jamie, leaving Lucas downstairs alone.

"Damn it…" he mumbled to himself, realizing that he had definitely screwed up with Haley, and apparently with Brooke as well. He couldn't believe how messed up everything was- Quentin was dead, Brooke was hurt and he, himself, was more lost than he had been in a long time…

* * *

Rachel gently ran the comb through Brooke's wet hair, wincing slightly every now and then, with each one of Brooke's involuntary, pained flinches, caused by the collision of the comb with the still-sensitive parts of Brooke's head. Three days had passed since Brooke's breakdown, and in those three days she had cooperated with her doctors and friends as much as could be expected- eating and taking her medications when told and rising to her feet for a short walk when given a hand, but continued lying quietly and staring helplessly into space when she didn't receive guidance.

Although Nathan and Rachel were truly worried about her, they decided to acknowledge the fact that Brooke was now willing to accept help and to look upon that as a first step in her healing process. They had hoped that Brooke's breakdown would result in a greater breakthrough, but as they realized that Brooke was trying her best to come back to them from the darkness that had consumed her, they understood that they still needed to keep a firm grasp on her and that they couldn't expect her to stand on her shaky legs on her own just yet. Therefore, in those three days, they had taken care of her the best they could, treating her in a gentle manner and making sure not to push her, and on that morning, the doctors had finally agreed to release Brooke, under Nathan and Rachel's supervision.

Upon hearing the doctors' decision, Rachel had immediately helped Brooke to her feet and guided her to the bathroom, positioning the brunette in the shower and gently telling her that she should get washed up. Rachel had placed clean clothes and a towel she had brought over from Brooke's East Village apartment and left the bathroom, to give Brooke some privacy, hearing the water running after she stepped out of the room, as Brooke did as she had been told.

When Brooke had come out of the bathroom, wearing the clothes that Rachel had picked for her and fashioning wet hair, Rachel had to forcefully bite her lip in order to remain from crying. With her nice clothes, freshly cleaned skin and renewed tidy appearance, Brooke's bruises seemed even more out of place than before. Even though the swelling had gone down and the black and blue marks had turned pink and yellow by now, the marks that were still engraved on her just didn't seem to belong to Brooke's beautiful face. Forcing a smile just so she wouldn't start to cry, Rachel had led Brooke to a seat and had begun brushing her hair in gentle strokes.

"Thank you, Rachel" after she had been brushing Brooke's hair for a while, Rachel suddenly heard Brooke's soft voice say. Her heart warmed up at the sound of the raspy, quiet voice that had been so scarce to the ears those past few days, and a smile formed on her lips as Brooke's words registered to her. She knew that Brooke wasn't only thanking her for the simple task she was currently helping her with, but also for the care and patience she had been treating her with and for not leaving her side when she was so vulnerable and confused.

"You're welcome, Brooke" Rachel replied with a smile. She searched for Brooke's wandering eyes, but when Brooke simply kept her eyes glued to the floor, Rachel opted for grabbing her unharmed hand and giving it a soft squeeze. "I'm always going to be there for you, Brooke" Rachel reminded Brooke, firmly holding onto her hand.

"I know" Brooke gently nodded, unable to lift her eyes up to meet Rachel's. She felt truly comforted and growingly safer with Rachel's presence those past few days, but she was still struggling to open up and knew that if Rachel would take one look into her eyes at that moment, she would immediately see all the pain that she was trying to suppress, which would force her to acknowledge that it was there and that she needed to face it.

The two girls remained silent for several moments, as Brooke tried to push her emotions away, while Rachel was seeking the courage to tell Brooke what she knew she needed to say to her. Taking a deep breath, Rachel finally got over herself and quietly spoke, "I still didn't tell you how sorry I am for what I did…"

"It's fine, Rachel. I understand" Brooke immediately replied. Although her eyes were still planted in the floor, the honest tone of her voice showed Rachel that Brooke had meant what she said and Rachel was, once again, amazed by the goodness of Brooke's heart.

"It's not fine, Brooke- I took your money! I know I shouldn't have done that…" Rachel replied with heavy remorse.

"I know that Victoria pushed you into doing this. I don't blame you, Rachel – I know how she can be…" Brooke softly said, her raspy voice slightly cracking as it stumbled over her mother's name. Rachel looked at her sadly, knowing how hurt Brooke had indeed gotten by her mother over the years. She suddenly began to feel truly awful with herself, that Victoria had sent her some nasty comments just once, and she had already freaked out, while Brooke had been dealing with the woman for her entire life, and still managed to maintain a brave façade and a sense of morality and kindness.

"I'm still sorry, Brooke," Rachel gave Brooke's hand another gentle squeeze before letting go of it altogether and walking over to her purse. "Look, since it was a lot of money, it's gonna take me a while, but I promise to pay you every cent back" Rachel vowed and walked back to Brooke, after retrieving the item that she had been looking for from her purse.

"Here…" Rachel opened Brooke's palm and placed the item in her hand, watching Brooke as she observed the check with the modest amount of money that she had managed to save up. "Let's just call this a start…" Rachel said as Brooke just stared at the check speechlessly.

"I can't take your money, Rachel" Brooke finally replied, placing the check on the bed next to which she was seated.

"Brooke, you're not taking my money… It's your money!" Rachel tried to argue, causing Brooke to look up at her for the very first time.

"I thought that we were better friends than that, Rachel…" Brooke quietly told her, and Rachel understood exactly what she was talking about; throughout their entire friendship, they had never put a price-tag on any of their actions- not when Brooke first befriended Rachel, just so she won't be alone, or when Rachel had allowed Brooke to live in her house, asking for nothing in return, and not even when she had taken the blame for stealing the calculus exam and got expelled, just so Brooke could pursue her dreams. It was never about getting paid or receiving something in return between the two of them, because their friendship was stronger than that, and Rachel understood that Brooke didn't want to change that. Rachel sighed as she looked at the sad girl before her, the shadow of her friend, and couldn't help the tears that were pricking in her eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Brooke… I just don't know how to show you that…" Rachel choked out, struggling to keep the tears that were welling up in her eyes at bay.

"You just did…" Brooke quietly replied, the look in her eyes offering Rachel all the comfort she could currently give.

"I promise that I'll find a way to make it up to you" Rachel sniffled and swore, wanting Brooke to understand how much she cherished their friendship and didn't take Brooke's forgiveness for granted.

"You've done enough for me, Rachel…" Brooke quietly told her, but Rachel's mind was already filling up with ideas as to how she could pay Brooke for what she had taken.

"I know!" Rachel announced as an idea sprang to her mind, "I can help you with the store, with the retail side of it – like you said…" Rachel suggested, thinking that Brooke could probably use some help with the company, at least until she would feel better. She frowned as she, once again, lost Brooke's eyes to the floor.

"It's not mine anymore… The board handed it over to Victoria…" Brooke mumbled, but Rachel didn't have a difficulty to hear what she said as much as she had difficulty accepting it.

"What?!" she exclaimed, looking at Brooke in shock. She was saddened to see that her friend, whose soulful traces had actually reappeared during the conversation that they just held, had retreated back into the shell in which she had been trapped since she had woken up.

"I think that she did this…" Brooke whispered, and as Rachel's gaze at her intensified, she saw that Brooke's hands started to tremble. When the meaning of Brooke's words had finally sunk in to Rachel, she was overcome by shock and felt sick to the pit of her stomach- Brooke believed that her own mother had sent someone to physically hurt her, and the more Rachel thought about it, the more it made terrible sense to her.

"Brooke…" Rachel's eyes became glazed over with anger and tears. Her stomach dropped when she observed the drops that were gliding down her friend's porcelain cheeks. Rachel forcefully pushed her emotions down and came up to Brooke, gently drying up the wet trails that were forming on her face. She was glad that Brooke had finally opened up to her, but also truly horrified to learn what she had been keeping inside and dealing alone with this entire time.

As tears proceeded to flow from Brooke's eyes, Rachel carefully pulled her hurting friend for a tight hug. "It's gonna be O.K., sweetie… We're going home" she soothingly whispered into Brooke's ear, feeling comforted that at least Brooke was finally letting everything out. When Brooke's body seemed to stop shaking, Rachel had thought that her calming words had gotten through to Brooke and pulled away from her, only to find Brooke's eyes wearing the same glassy gaze that she had hoped she had helped her get rid of. Devastated, Rachel could only watch Brooke silently pulling her sunglasses out of her purse and burying her face and emotions back behind them again.

Right at that moment, when she still felt Brooke's pain and was angered both by what had happened to her friend and by the fact that she had, once again, slipped right through her fingers, it finally dawned on Rachel how she was going to pay Brooke back; Just as Brooke's money helped Rachel rebuild her life, Rachel was going to help Brooke get her life back in the only way she understood was possible- she was going to help Brooke get her company back and she was going to make Victoria regret ever laying a finger on her daughter…

* * *

**AN: I realize that the past few chapters seem pretty slow, but I promise that a lot more drama lays ahead and that the pace of this story will pick up soon. Next time, Rachel, Nathan and Brooke will return to Tree Hill, so things might spice up already! ;-)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hi guys! I had a pretty busy week, but in between classes and whenever I had time, I worked on this chapter so you could read it this weekend! I am having a pretty hard time with the show lately- I think that Brooke is shoved to the sidelines in such an unfair way that it kind of angers me to watch the show right now! I pretty much hated the last episode, if not for the fact that Brooke barely existed in it then for the fact that Lucas called Peyton 'pretty girl' in the beginning! I was seriously so mad that he would do that, because that nickname should only belong to Brooke! I think that her storyline on the show right now just doesn't do Sophia and her acting abilities any justice and that the storyline of the attack was poorly tended to. Unless Brooke somehow confronts her attacker, I will be seriously disappointed... Anyway, I don't mean to rant, I guess that you could say I was even inspired by how much I disliked the last episode into continuing to write this alternative storyline... I hope that you guys will enjoy this! ;-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 12**

"Watch her head, Nathan!" Rachel warned Nathan as he tried to pull a sleeping Brooke from her seat in the cab that they had taken from "Tree Hill Airport" to his house and into his arms. Rachel paid the driver and quickly took Brooke's bag out of Nathan's hand, so he could secure his grasp on the worn-out brunette and support her drooping head properly. She had been quietly fighting her pain and exhaustion during their long wait in the airport and throughout the entire flight, but as soon as Nathan had seated her in the cab, Brooke's body sagged as her tired state overpowered her. She had barely spoken a word to Nathan or Rachel since they had left the hospital, and hadn't taken her shades off ever since, and even at the moment, when Nathan was carrying her sleeping form in his arms, he knew better than to remove them from her face. He understood that Brooke still needed to hide and protect herself from the rest of the world and, considering the two breakthroughs he and Rachel had had with her during the past couple of days, realized that in time, in slow baby steps, he could help Brooke open up and find her way back to the life she was currently afraid of living.

Nathan groaned as he tried to juggle Brooke's limp body in one hand, while attempting to fish out his house-key with the other. He momentarily and foolishly wished that he wouldn't have insisted with Haley that she would go to her classes that day instead of waiting home for them, as entering his house and placing Brooke on a bed would have been a much easier task if he wouldn't have had a locked door as an obstacle in his way.

"Here- let me help…" Rachel suddenly offered. Before Nathan could refuse, she quickly slipped her hand into his pocket and pulled out his chain of keys, her fingers inevitably brushing against his pants-clad leg. Back in high-school, if she would have done anything like that, Nathan would have been furious with her promiscuous behavior, but now he was satisfied to see that she didn't try anything and actually appeared to be embarrassed by the harmless physical contact that was caused.

"Sorry…" Rachel mumbled, trying to clarify the innocent nature of her actions.

"It's fine…" Nathan replied reassuringly, "It's the red one…" he added instructively, referring to the color of the correct key out of the bunch Rachel was sorting through. He readjusted Brooke's body in his arms as he watched Rachel sticking the red key into the door and finally opening it up and allowing him back into his house.

"I think I'm gonna go over to Brooke's and grab us both some clothes and things for the next few days…" Rachel awkwardly told Nathan, obviously still uncomfortable with what happened.

"Sure" Nathan smiled at her, pleased to see, once again, how much she had changed from the shameless, wild teenager she once used to be.

Rachel started walking towards the door and just before she stepped out of it, she turned back around and looked at Nathan, "Hey Nathan…" she called out to him, causing him to turn his gaze back to her, "Thank you for letting me into your home…" Rachel genuinely said. Nathan was about to politely tell her that she was welcome, but as he saw that she clearly had more on her chest, he remained silent and allowed her to speak, "I know I wasn't exactly your best friend back in high school, so it means a lot that you're letting me stay here with Brooke now. I promised myself that I would help her out of this, so thanks for giving me the chance to do that…" Rachel concluded, giving Nathan a small, sad smile.

"No problem" Nathan replied, sending Rachel a kind smile of his own. When he saw that Rachel's gaze worriedly and uneasily lingered on Brooke, he reassuringly added, "Don't worry- she'll be fine… You can go."

Rachel kept her eyes on Brooke for a few more seconds and finally nodded and left Brooke behind with Nathan. Since she had found her, it had been tough for Rachel to let Brooke out of her sight, but she knew that with Nathan, Brooke would be safe and sound. Stepping out of the Scotts' cozy home, Rachel took a deep breath of the crisp North Carolina air and slightly shivered. After finding a job and getting her life back on track in New York, she didn't really think that she would be returning to Tree Hill, where every person who knew her would remember her for the wild lifestyle she used to maintain, which she had just been cured of, but for Brooke's sake, she was going to be strong and stay clear of her rocky past. For Brooke's sake, she was going to make Tree Hill her home.

As Rachel resumed her walk towards Brooke's house, Nathan, who had been looking after her, suddenly felt Brooke slightly shifting in his arms. He averted his gaze from the retreating redhead over to the sleeping girl in his arms and frowned as he saw her flinch in her sleep. Realizing that Brooke's sore body might be less strained if she would be lying properly in a bed, Nathan carefully ascended the stairs of his house and walked over to the guest room, which Haley, as promised, had already prepared for both Brooke and Rachel. He pealed the clean, scented sheets from the bed and gently placed Brooke on it, caringly tucking her in after he had freed his hands of her body.

Nathan looked at the peaceful brunette for another moment, glad that she was finally back in the safety of his home. As he gave the girl who was like a young sister to him a last glance and felt the presence of his son and wife in the air and in everything in his house, Nathan could finally smile, feeling as though he had brought his family back together at last.

* * *

As Rachel packed some clothes and essentials from Brooke's home, Lucas, who was driving by Brooke's house, noticed the light in Brooke's bedroom and immediately pulled over. He had been passing by Brooke's house several times every day since his fight with Haley, hoping for Brooke's return, and for the first time, he finally came upon the sign that he had been waiting for. He quickly got out of his car and, after locking it, rushed over to the entrance of the house.

"Brooke?" Lucas called out loud as his knocks on Brooke's door were left unanswered. "Brooke, I know you're there- I saw the lights in your bedroom…" he tried again, yet still received no response. Hesitantly, Lucas closed his fingers around the door knob, checking to see if the door might be unlocked and gladly finding out that he could indeed open the door. In any other circumstance, Lucas would have been unpleased with the fact that Brooke left her door unlocked, inviting any passer-by to invade her house, but right now he was just grateful that he would finally be able to face Brooke.

Taking several steps into her house, Lucas felt the need to make his presence in her house known to Brooke, and yet again called her name- "Brooke?"

Much to Lucas' surprise, the figure that emerged from the second floor and came down the stairs to approach him most certainly was not the one he had expected, but the redhead girl he hadn't seen since senior year.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Rachel bluntly asked, causing Lucas to realize that despite not having seen her for such a long time, he wasn't about to receive a warm greeting from Rachel.

"I came to talk to Brooke" Lucas replied, unfazed by Rachel's offensive tone.

"She's not here" Rachel informed him in an uncompromising tone, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Then what the hell are you doing in her house?" Lucas raised an eyebrow challengingly, obviously not believing her.

"That's none of your damn business" Rachel retorted so harshly that Lucas felt as if she was slapping him with her words.

"Look, Rachel- I don't want to fight with you" Lucas tiredly said, truly not wanting to get into yet another screaming match when all he was interested in was finding Brooke.

"Good- then leave!" Rachel replied, giving Lucas an intense glare.

"Not before I talk to Brooke!" Lucas sternly told her, not willing to back down. He brushed past the fuming redhead and walked over to the stairs, intending to go up to Brooke's bedroom and attempt to find the brunette.

"I told you she's not here. Are you deaf or something?" Rachel called over to Lucas with hostility. When he noticed that Rachel wasn't running after him and trying to prevent him from going up the stairs, Lucas finally realized that she must be telling the truth. He walked back down the stairs towards Rachel, and upon spotting, for the first time, the bags in her hand, he became convinced that Brooke indeed wasn't present.

Frustrated that Brooke seemed to slip farther away from him once again, Lucas walked up to Rachel and looked at her agitatedly, "Rachel, you've gotta tell me where she is!" he demanded.

"Like hell I am!" Rachel angrily replied, "You're gonna stay away from her, Lucas! Do you understand me?" Rachel harshly said. Knowing Brooke's current condition, she was certain that an encounter with Lucas would be a bad idea at the current time. She was going to keep Lucas away from Brooke until the brunette would feel better and would at least tell her what Lucas had done that had gotten her so upset.

"Stay out of this, Rachel. This is none of your business" Lucas raised his voice, getting carried into the fight he truly didn't want to hold again.

"Brooke is my business!" Rachel yelled at Lucas. She was so defensive of her fragile friend at the moment that she was truly fighting the urge to slap the blond boy before her.

"You know what, Rachel? I don't need your help- I think I know where to find Brooke anyway…" Lucas replied, storming past the furious redhead and marching over to his vehicle.

Only when she saw Lucas getting into his car, Rachel began to truly panic. She raced outside, wanting to stop him, but Lucas already drove off, straight in the direction of Nathan and Haley's house. Cursing herself for walking over to Brooke's house by foot instead of borrowing Nathan's car, Rachel tightened her grasp on the bags she had packed and quickly walked over in the direction of Nathan and Haley's house, hoping that things won't get completely out of control before she would arrive…

* * *

As Brooke's senses began to tingle and adapt back to reality, she felt as heavy as if she had been sleeping for years. Keeping her eyes closed, she slightly moved her fingers and toes and was met with the feeling of a soft, warm fabric brushing against her skin. Suddenly feeling disoriented and realizing she didn't know where she was, Brooke grew slightly panicked. She battled against her heavy eyelids and still slightly swollen eyes and after several moments, finally managed to open her eyes. Brooke was instantly met with a shaded version of Jamie, only then realizing that her eyes were still concealed with her sunglasses. She looked at the small boy that was lying before her and staring at her with concern, and couldn't help but feel her heart twitch at the sight of his worried expression and at the similarity that it caring to the one his uncle would have when he would be busy brooding.

As Brooke slightly shifted under the blankets, Jamie's eyes widened and filled with anticipation, "Aunt Brooke?" he softly called out to her, sounding so hopeful that Brooke could never ignore his plea.

"Hey" she replied in her dry, raspy whisper, wishing that she could have made her voice sound a little less hollow for the sake of the young boy before her.

Jamie just looked at his godmother sadly, the expression in his baby blues making him look so much more mature than the 5-year-old he actually was. As he scooted towards Brooke on the bed and sent his hands towards her face, Brooke couldn't help but slightly tense up, but did her best to disguise her discomfort with physical contact away from him. Much to her surprise, Jamie didn't try to touch her face, but simply stripped her eyes of the sunglasses she had been hiding behind, finally removing the barrier that separated her from the rest of the world. Brooke's distant hazel gaze locked with Jamie's ocean colored look, which carried so many waves of emotions that Brooke immediately felt like she was being drifted back to shore, back to safe ground. When the shadow in her eyes was replaced with a mixture of battling emotions, Jamie felt as though it would be alright to take her unharmed hand, and it was indeed the first touch she hadn't cringed away from at all since the attack.

Brooke kept staring into Jamie's soulful, expressive eyes, feeling as though the small boy was truly pulling her back towards the light, towards the surface. So far, she felt like she was lost at sea, drowning in an endless, dark space, but his gentle grasp on her hand was like a breath of fresh air to her suffocating lungs. Unable to break their powerful eye-contact, Brooke could detect the sadness and pain in Jamie's soul, and gave his hand a soft, supportive squeeze, to show him that she was still there, to prove to herself that she was still there.

"I'm sorry, aunt Brooke" Jamie quietly told her, slicing the silence that had filled the air with those four genuinely spoken words. There was no need for any elaborate or long speeches at that moment, as all of Jamie's sympathy and care were expressed perfectly in that one simple sentence. As Brooke continued to study the small boy's face and saw more traces of sadness enlaced upon it, she was reminded of the tragic events that Jamie had experienced in the past few days as well.

"I'm sorry too, buddy" Brooke sadly replied, expressing her sorrow for the traumatic experience Jamie had gone through. They both tightened their grasp on each other's hand simultaneously, needing to comfort and be comforted all at once, and grew silent, not needing to speak another word as their eyes spoke a whole range of things.

When Brooke saw the wet drops that were suddenly rolling down Jamie's cheeks, something in her broke and she was finally pulled back to reality. She felt the protective walls around her cracking and finally breaking as she gently pulled the trembling boy into her arms, comforting him for everything he had lost, comforting him for all the awful things he had learned about life way too soon.

In Brooke's soothing embrace, Jamie allowed himself to truly let go and mourn Quentin's death fully for the first time. Brooke's slightly tainted appearance made all the terrible things in life a living reality for Jamie and caused him to finally grasp that his admirable friend would never be back. Tightening his hold on his godmother, as if needing to make sure that she wouldn't slip away from him as well, Jamie finally allowed himself to let everything out and started sobbing. His heartbreaking cries set something off in Brooke, and soon enough she was holding onto the little boy for dear life and crying silent tears as she pondered over the cruelty of the world.

Having heard their son's cries, Haley and Nathan rushed over to the guestroom, where he had buried himself in Brooke's arms. They both paused in the entrance of the room, watching their five-year-old clinging to their fragile friend desperately and releasing all of his pain onto her chest, but as soon as they heard the soft, muffled whimper that came from the brunette, Nathan and Haley both hurried over to the pair and separated them, fearing that Jamie's emotional outburst was a bit too much for their shaky friend.

"Aunt Brooke!" Jamie anxiously leapt from his father's arms back onto Brooke's lap and hugged her neck tightly, cuddling into her body and continuing to cry into her, "Promise me that you won't leave again!" Jamie begged her in between his cries.

As Brooke heard the fear and desperation in his voice, she couldn't help but slightly nod her head and softly reply, "I promise, Jamie". She realized that his understanding of what Quentin's death meant was causing him to worry about losing another loved one, and swore to herself that she won't let him go through that pain, that she would always remain by his side. "I'm not going anywhere…" Brooke whispered to the small boy as she felt his tiny fingers anxiously digging into her skin, holding onto her as tightly as he could.

"Brooke's gonna stay right here, buddy, so why don't you let her rest for a bit and come back later…" Nathan asked his son as he noticed how Brooke's body was starting to tremble from exhaustion and pain.

"O.K…." Jamie reluctantly agreed, feeling confident enough with his godmother and father's promises. He kissed Brooke cheek, wanting to show her how much he loved and missed her, and let his father lift him off of her lap. After the two of them exited the room, leaving Brooke alone with Haley, Haley came over to Brooke's side and helped her lean on a cushion she pulled up to the headboard of the bed.

"Oh Brooke…" Haley looked at her sadly and carefully wiped the tears off of her cheeks. She was truly glad that Brooke was finally safely back home, but it killed her to see her cheerful friend looking so broken. She really wished she could do something to make Brooke feel better, but all she could think of doing at the moment was to squeeze her arm supportively.

"I'm sorry, Haley…" Haley frowned as she heard Brooke mumble an apology, "I'm trying to get back, it's just gonna take a while…" she admitted, looking into Haley's eyes with her watery ones. She had done her best to be strong for Jamie, but felt as though she had failed, for letting him see how fragile she truly was.

"Honey, don't apologize!" Haley looked at her ashamed friend and squeezed her arms for support, "Listen to me- you're going to take as long as you need and we will all be there for you throughout the entire way, alright?" Haley confidently reassured Brooke, smiling slightly as she received a nod from her friend. She brushed a stray strand of hair out of Brooke's eyes and look at her with compassion, admiring how strong Brooke was trying to be.

"Thank you…" Brooke lifted her eyes back to Haley's warm ones and croaked, expressing her gratitude for the loyal way Haley and her family were being there for her. Haley just smiled at Brooke kindly, finally managing to extract a small smile out of Brooke.

"Come here…" Haley opened her arms and pulled Brooke into her embrace, holding onto her securely. "I'm glad you're back home" she honestly told Brooke, slightly tightening her gentle embrace.

"Me too…" Brooke softly replied, putting a smile on Haley's face as she realized that Brooke was indeed able to feel at home at last. Haley knew she that there were many things she needed to talk to Brooke about, but until Brooke would get a little better, she wasn't going to ask her what pushed her to leave Tree Hill or what Lucas had done to her. She was just going to take care of her friend and help her get back to her lively old self.

Haley was just about to suggest watching a movie together when she and Brooke heard someone frantically knocking on the door. The two friends drew apart and looked at each other with confusion, wondering who the unexpected visitor could be.

"I'll be right back…" Haley promised Brooke, feeling her heart fill with joy as Brooke responded with a relaxed smile, which put a hint of her lovely dimples on her cheeks, making her look a bit more similar to the girl she had been before the attack. Haley gave her a big smile in return and walked over to the door, frowning as she found Lucas standing behind it.

"Luke, now isn't the best time fo-" Haley couldn't even finish her sentence as Lucas brushed past her and invaded her house like a gust of wind.

"Where is she?" he demanded to know, not even waiting for Haley's reply as he surveyed the first floor with his eyes and moved on to climb up the stairs quickly.

"Excuse me?!" Haley looked after Lucas with amazement as he went about her house without being invited to do so. As she realized who Lucas was looking for and exactly where he was heading, Haley quickly came back to her senses and started racing after him.

"Lucas, you can't go up there!" Haley frantically called after Lucas, hoping that she would be able to reach him before he would make it to the guestroom, but when she heard his car-keys drop to the floor with a loud dingling sound, she realized that she most certainly was too late…

* * *

**AN: Well, there you have it! Next time Brooke and Lucas will obviously encounter each other at last! I promise that as soon as I'll be able to- I'll update again! ;-)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Unbelievably, I managed to write this chapter during this week. I was pretty sure it was gonna take me a bit longer, but your reviews were so awesome that I worked extra hard on this (besides, I realize that the way I ended the last chapter was pretty mean, so I didn't want you guys to wait for too long...). I know I still didn't reply to your reviews, but I promise I will in the next few days. The courses I'm taking do keep me busy, as I already told you.. I am still pretty angry at the show, but at least the last chapter was kind of an improvement, as now I know that at least Mark still plans on dealing with Brooke's attack somehow. I can only hope that it'll live up to the expections I have... Anyway, as I promised- this chapter finally has Brooke and Lucas' encounter. So read ahead, and I hope you'll enjoy this! ;-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 13**

Brooke froze and looked at Lucas with big, startled eyes, like a deer caught in the headlights of a car. As Lucas' deep, penetrating gaze stared at her intensely, she felt herself starting to tremble from inside with hurt, anger, fear and humiliation. She most certainly didn't want to be seen when she was this weak, especially by him.

Lucas' sudden appearance in the room she was currently staying in, after he had completely ignored her since the day that Angie left and he disappeared truly left Brooke speechless. She couldn't believe that he would dare to stride into her room after disregarding her like he had done and pretend that nothing happened, but there he was.

Brooke could see that Lucas was just as stunned as her by the sight he was seeing as she observed how he quietly studied the gruesome marks that filled her body. The two of them remained silent for a few moments, just staring at each other in shock and not knowing what to say to the other, considering the situation, which neither of them expected. When Brooke managed to control the battle of emotions that was taking place inside her body, she, at last, opened her mouth and spoke.

"What are you doing here, Lucas?" Brooke finally broke the silence and asked, her distant tone blending with the shakiness of her voice.

"Brooke…" Lucas didn't even hear what Brooke had said to him. He was so shocked by Brooke's physical appearance that all he could focus on were the bruises emblazoned on her skin and nothing else. The last time he had seen her, in Las Vegas, he was standing so much farther away from her and she had covered herself up so much more, that he could have never inspected all the marks on her delicate body. Now, however, as she faced him, dressed in a tank top and having nothing to conceal her face with, Lucas saw just how banged up Brooke was, and shuddered as he thought of how she must have looked several days earlier, when all of the healing bruises were still raw and fresh. He took several steps into the guestroom, wanting to take a closer look at Brooke and assess the damage, when he heard Brooke's raspy voice speaking.

"Stay away from me" Brooke hissed, grabbing the sheets her lower half was covered with and pulling them up herself. She most certainly didn't like the vulnerable feeling that was filling her with the way Lucas' eyes were staring at the harmed parts of her body.

"Who did this to you, Brooke?" Lucas demanded, continuing to advance towards her. Her words didn't register to him at all, just the healing contusions that caused him to see red. His blood was truly boiling in his veins as he thought of how Brooke acquired those bruises, as he thought of someone getting rough with the pretty girl before him.

"Get out of here, Lucas!" Brooke screamed at him, suddenly growing intimidated by his aggressive stride towards her, as well as angered by how he just barged into the room as if he still had a right to act protective of her after everything he had done. As Lucas almost reached her, Brooke scrambled to the opposite side of the bed and gingerly rose to her feet, holding onto the windowsill for support.

"Brooke, answer me- who did this?" Lucas angrily asked, growing even more furious as he observed how tough it was for Brooke to stand up on her feet.

"Go away!" Brooke yelled, frightened and infuriated by Lucas all at once.

"Brooke…" Lucas warned. She was seriously crazy if she thought that he would leave her after seeing her condition. Unfortunately for him, Haley just stepped into the room, positioning herself between Brooke and him and denying his access to Brooke.

"Lucas Scott, I think it's time for you to go!" Haley sternly told him. She gave him the scolding look an adult would give a misbehaving child.

"Not until you tell me who is the fucking bastard that did this to you!" Lucas retorted, looking at Brooke intently and pretty much ignoring Haley.

"Why should I?" Brooke glared at Lucas and replied with her scratchy, silently-angry voice, refilled with courage with Haley's protective presence.

"Because I care about you… Because I want to help you out…" Lucas pointed out as if it was obvious.

"It's a little too late for that…" Brooke let out a dry, bitter laugh, causing Lucas to look away from her with shame. He suddenly felt extremely guilty for not following his gut instinct earlier, realizing that if he would have acted upon it before, he might have been able to make a difference for Brooke. He was about to apologize, when Brooke's infuriated tone filled the air once again.

"I really don't get you, you know that? A few days ago I needed your help _so much_… I tried calling you so many times, but you ignored me as if I didn't even exist! Now, when I don't need you anymore you show up out of the blue and expect me to be delighted that you're back?!" Brooke yelled at him, unable to help but let the hurt she was feeling color her words.

"I would never ignore you, Brooke…" Lucas told Brooke in an honest, soft tone, looking her straight in the eye in an attempt to convince her, but only causing her to let out a snort at him.

"I _saw_ you and Peyton dismissing my call with my own eyes, Lucas!" Brooke screamed at Lucas, enraged that he would lie to her face. When Lucas just stared at her, dumbfounded and shocked by the new information he had just learned about, Brooke couldn't help but add, "Don't play dumb with me, Lucas!"

"Brooke, I would never do that to you… You mean so-" Lucas began, but Brooke bitterly cut him off.

"Stop it! I can't hear your hollow words anymore! Why don't you just go back to Peyton and live happily ever after and just leave me alone…" Brooke snapped at him. When Lucas remained standing still and just stared at her, Brooke raised an eyebrow and asked, "Or have you two broken up and that's why you're suddenly so interested in me?" she angrily questioned.

"Brooke, Peyton and I truly are not together anymore, but it's not…" Lucas tried to explain, but Brooke had heard enough.

"Unbelievable…" Brooke mumbled, looking at him with disgust, "I am _not_ some kind of rebound slut that you can go back to whenever the two of you decide to break up!" Brooke angrily yelled at him. The offended tears that were pricking in her eyes were truly killing Lucas from inside as he knew they were his fault. Even though it was different this time, the previous time he had broken up with Peyton, he had treated Brooke just like that, and he truly couldn't blame her for the way she was feeling. Still, wanting to explain to her what really happened this time, he softly spoke.

"Brooke, I'm sorry for how I treated you in the past, but I am not-" Lucas started walking towards the bruised brunette as he talked, but was cut off by her screeching voice.

"Don't! Don't come near me, Lucas!" Brooke shrieked, wobbling away from his path. Lucas was shocked to see that in addition to her anger, Brooke was trembling and actually seemed to be truly frightened.

"Lucas- you'd better leave…" Haley told him assertively, seeing how much his presence was stressing Brooke out. She grabbed onto his arm, trying to pull him away from her shaky friend, but Lucas just shook her off and continued striding towards Brooke. Her shaky and emotional state caused him to feel the need to hold her and comfort her, and not walk away from her and give her some space. He had walked away from her enough times, that he decided that now was the time to change that, now was the time to stick by her side and find out what really happened to her.

"Hey… I won't hurt you…" Lucas gently promised when he was merely steps away from Brooke as he realized how much she was shaking. He slowly sent his hand towards Brooke's face, wanting to cup her cheek, and was shocked that Brooke let out a yelp and then fearfully screamed at him.

"Don't touch me!" Brooke demanded helplessly as she started to sob. Standing in the corner of the room with Lucas blocking any escape route from him brought Brooke back to the attack, when another large man prevented her from going anywhere. Even though deep down she knew that Lucas would never physically harm her, at that moment she was scared just the same.

"Lucas, that's enough!" Haley walked over to the couple and tried to pull Lucas back, growing impatient with his thoughtless behavior, but Lucas was so worried about Brooke that he didn't even realize that his presence was troubling Brooke more than it was helping her.

"Hey…" Lucas tried to stretch his hand over to her once again, only causing her to start sobbing even louder in wounded, petrified cries.

"Don't touch me!" Brooke repeated, screaming and begging him at once. She was crying and shaking so much that her knees gave out from the big effort, causing her to slide to the floor.

"Brooke!" his attempt to grab onto her and lift her back to her feet only resulted in yet another heartbreaking yelp. Lucas reluctantly had to let go of her, but kneeled down next to Brooke and stared at her with concern, only causing her to feel even more trapped and to start to hyperventilate.

"Lucas, what is the matter with you?!" Haley yelled at him, worried that Brooke might hurt her fragile body with all the stress Lucas was causing her. "You need to get out of here right now!" Haley commanded, tugging onto his arm, but Lucas remained positioned in his place as solidly as a rock.

"There is no way in hell that I'm leaving her like this!" Lucas stubbornly insisted, trying to lift Brooke's chin so she could breathe more easily but just causing the brunette to panic even more.

"Stop!" Brooke cried, her breathing pace growing even faster. She was shaking and crying so hard that Haley understood without a doubt that her friend was reliving the terrible, traumatic event she had gone through.

"Lucas, look at what you're doing to her! Get out of this room before she faints!" Haley demanded with fury, not willing to allow Lucas to jeopardize Brooke's health just because his hero instinct finally kicked in.

"Brooke… Babe, look at me!" Lucas was not paying any attention to Haley anymore, only focusing on the sobbing girl before him. It was like all three of them were locked in separate worlds, each one speaking to someone who wasn't really there with them.

"Did you hear what I said to you, Lucas?! Move it!"

"Baby, I'm right here- be with me!"

"S… Stop!"

"Lucas Scott, don't make me hurt you, I said leave this room!"

"Brooke, come on, babe, breathe with me…"

"Ple… Please!"

"Lucas Eugene Scott, if you don't get out of here right now, I swear…"

_Smack_. Lucas felt the stinging feeling of a powerful slap spread across his cheek. He stumbled back in shock as he rubbed his throbbing cheek, left speechless as the throbbing pain filled the left side of his face. He lifted his stunned eyes to meet Haley's eyes, and just as he was about to ask her what exactly was she thinking, he realized that Haley looked just as shocked as he was. He lifted his eyes up from the floor on which he, Brooke and Haley were sitting and spotted Rachel, looking even angrier than she had been before, when he had found her in Brooke's apartment.

"What part of stay away from Brooke did you not understand?" Rachel asked Lucas harshly as she slightly shook the hand she had just slapped him with. When Lucas just stayed in his place, clutching his cheek and staring at her dumbfoundedly, Rachel rolled her eyes at him and said, "Don't make me hit you again, Lucas- move it!"

Lucas remained in his place despite Rachel's threats, too shocked to speak or move. The cold greetings he had received from everyone, Brooke's heartbreaking condition and the blow he had gotten from Rachel combined created a true knock-out for him. He was too stunned to react even as Rachel glared at him and angrily mumbled, "You asked for this…"

Lucas realized that Rachel was about to hit him once again too late, but fortunately for him, Nathan's voice sliced the air just before her fist collided with his cheek and halted her actions.

"Hey! What's going on in here?!" Nathan demanded to know, having heard the loud screams from outside, where he had played with Jamie. As he surveyed the disarray the room was in, he was truly grateful for leaving his son downstairs and not allowing him to see what all the yelling and commotion were about. His eyes darkened as he saw the state that Brooke was in- sitting glued to the wall and crying her eyes out as Haley sat beside her and tried to soothe her and get her to breathe more healthily.

"Oh my god… Brooke!" Nathan neglected the sight of his brother slumped over on the floor and was about to rush to the hyperventilating girl when Rachel's voice stopped him.

"Nathan- you'd better get your brother out of here before I do it myself!" she demanded, knowing that she wouldn't be able to control her rage towards the blond boy for much longer. As Nathan whirled over and saw Lucas sitting and staring stupidly at Brooke, a flash of anger blazed through his eyes.

"What the hell, man?!" Nathan exclaimed as he realized that the reason for Brooke's breakdown was his brother. As Lucas made no movement, Nathan frowned and marched towards him. He forcefully pulled Lucas up to his feet, causing him to finally snap out of the shocked state he had been in.

"Listen, Luke, I know that you're my brother, but if you don't get out of my house right now, I'm gonna seriously kick your ass!" Nathan promised Lucas, the intense glare in his eyes expressing just how serious he was.

As Lucas shook himself out of Nathan's grasp and looked around himself, he paled at the sight of what he had caused; Brooke was crying hysterically on the floor, curled up into a ball and holding her body protectively with her arms, Rachel and Haley were trying to calm her down with soothing actions, without any success, Nathan was scowling at him, looking like he would actually beat him up at any given moment, and Jamie was soundlessly standing in the doorway, left unnoticed as he tightly held onto Chester and had silent tears streaming down his cheeks.

Shamefully, Lucas nodded at Nathan, took a few steps back and began to walk away, realizing that the entire situation was his fault. He only now understood just what a horrible timing he had chosen to insist on not letting Brooke get away, as for the first time, she actually meant it with all her heart when she asked him to leave her alone. This time, when he insisted on not letting go of her, he was not fighting for her- he was frightening and harassing her.

As he sadly left Haley and Nathan's house and stepped into the windy, cold weather alone, Lucas shivered internally, thinking about everything he had done. As the petrified look on Brooke's face entered his mind, Lucas couldn't stop wondering what had happened to her that had gotten her so scared and shaky, what had happened to her that had gotten her so bruised. Angry with himself, Lucas was forced to admit to himself that he had once again broken his old promise to Brooke- that he had once again failed to save her…

* * *

**AN: To all of those who have been hoping to see Lucas having a tough time, I hope that this chapter satisfied you! To all of those who feel sorry for him- I promise that he will not be the boxing doll for much longer... Either way, I'd love to hear what you thought! ;-)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hi guys! First of all- I'm really sorry that I still didn't thank all those of you who have been reviewing properly... I know that I promised I would and I don't want you to think that I haven't done so out of lack of appreciation, because trust me- I love you guys for your amazing support! You seriously are the ones who are helping me continue to write throughout this hectic period... I have made a short list of thank-you's at the end of the chapter. It's really the least I can do and I promise that I will seriously try to get to everyone who will review from this chapter and on again. Your reviews do mean a lot!**

**I hope that this will help ease the wait until OTH returns... I seriously wish that when the show will be back, Brooke's storyline will be dealt with properly and that we won't be sucked into all the Peyton drama again (like Mark always ends up doing...). Anyway, this is my new chapter, and I hope you'll enjoy it! ;-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 14**

Haley glanced down at the girl that was held in between her arms and Rachel's arms, and let out a soft sigh. It was long after Lucas' visit, and even though Brooke was no longer sobbing uncontrollably, she still had silent tears rolling down her cheeks and had yet to speak a word to her or to Rachel. Brooke still appeared so vulnerable and shaken up that neither Haley nor Rachel dared to let go of her. She seemed so disconnected and detached that as Haley and Rachel had covered her trembling, bare shoulders with a jacket and had helped her up to the bed, Haley couldn't help but wonder if Brooke had even been aware of what had been going on around her. Haley was so mad at Lucas for pushing Brooke into this distant, petrified state that she could only truly calm her fury down when Brooke's heartbreaking sobs had ceased, signaling that Brooke was at least somewhat brought back from reliving the frightening attack that she had been through.

When she suddenly heard Brooke trying to muffle a sniffle and noticed that Rachel's idle strokes of Brooke's back had picked up their pace, Haley instinctively tightened her grasp on her friend and gently asked, "Brooke… Are you alright, sweetie?"

In response, Brooke let out another sniffle and nodded, her eyes still sending misbehaving tears down her face.

It was Rachel's turn to speak now, as she eyed Brooke with concern, "Brooke… Lucas didn't hurt you, did he?" Rachel hesitantly and carefully asked and, feeling the need to clarify her question, added, "Physically, I mean…"

Brooke drew away from Haley and Rachel's sheltering embrace and wiped her eyes clear of tears. Avoiding her friends' gazes, she hoarsely croaked, "No…"

"Do you want to tell us what happened?" Haley encouraged, eyeing Brooke with interest and concern. When Brooke hesitated to reply, Haley thought that maybe it had been too early to question Brooke about the encounter she understood that Brooke had with Lucas in Las Vegas. She was about to change the subject as she observed how Brooke was nervously fidgeting in front of her, but before Haley could say anything, Brooke began to quietly speak.

"After I got suspended from the company, I felt like I had to get away for a while…" Brooke softly said, keeping her eyes glued to her hands on her lap and away from Haley and Rachel's caring eyes, "So I got on the first flight that departed from the airport and ended up in Las Vegas…" Brooke continued, already causing Rachel and Haley's eyes to fill with tears from how lost she sounded.

"I… I thought that I'd be able to forget about the… about what happened… but then… then I just… I felt like…" Brooke's emotions were getting the better of her as she struggled to complete her sentence due to the fresh batch of tears that was choking her up. Rachel and Haley quickly scooted up to her and put their arms around her, wanting to bring Brooke back from the tough memory she obviously struggled to confront and to the safe reality that she was truly in.

"Honey it's O.K…. You don't have to talk about this if you can't…" Haley comfortingly reassured her friend, gently rubbing up and down her arm to remind her that she was safe now and that she wasn't alone. Her intense gaze at Brooke was met with a mixture of emotions on Brooke's face, indicating that Brooke couldn't stop talking about what troubled her now, when her wound was already reopened.

"When I got to the hotel I just thought that it would help me forget, you know? I stood there… in this room full of people and suddenly I couldn't breathe…" Brooke's voice cracked and squeaked as the tears, once again, washed her face. She was unable to hold them back anymore and neither were Haley and Rachel, who silently cried, thinking of how miserable Brooke must have felt facing that awful moment all alone. The two of them tightened their grip on Brooke, encouraging her to let everything out and helping Brooke continue to tell them her story, in between her cries and gasps for air.

"My body started to hurt where… Where I got…" Brooke choked, unable to complete her sentence, but Haley and Rachel both squeezed her hands, signaling to her that they understood what she meant and encouraging her to tell them what had happened next, "I tried to move, but I just froze there… I guess I… I guess I panicked…" Brooke involuntarily whimpered, the retelling of that awful day taking its toll on her. She took a few quick and sharp breaths, trying to satisfy her lungs' growing need of oxygen before she could go further.

"I just stood there all alone... Unable to move or breathe, with all those people around, and nobody noticed me… And I realized that… that I needed help…" Brooke paused to let out a sob that crushed Haley and Rachel's hearts.

"Brooke, it's O.K…." Rachel gently told her, worrying that Brooke was stressing herself out too much, but Brooke truly couldn't stop now.

"So I called Lucas… I just… His was the only number that I could clearly remember… And suddenly there were Peyton and Lucas… right in front of me… with Lucas' phone… I wanted to yell out to them, but I couldn't even talk…. I… I just stared at them until Peyton… She looked at Lucas' screen and dismissed my call…" Brooke's sobs overpowered her once again. She now buried her face in her hands and sobbed, feeling hurt, humiliated and betrayed all over again.

"I'm so sorry, Brooke…" Haley shakily said to Brooke, pulling her trembling form into her arms. She couldn't bear to see Brooke like this and after hearing how in her time of need, Brooke had been turned down by the two people she had most selflessly given her heart to over and over again, Haley truly couldn't blame Brooke for wanting to distance herself from the two blonds. She started rocking the crying brunette in her arms when Brooke's little voice found its way to her ears again.

"Peyton didn't notice me, but Lucas… He just stared at me and said nothing… It just felt like he punched me in the stomach… I just… Right then I realized that he and Peyton had been ignoring my calls on purpose all that time… So I left and went to New York…" Brooke said, hesitating to continue, but understanding that she needed to let out even the ending of her story, which was the part she was most ashamed of and had the greatest difficulty verbalizing, "I… I don't really remember much from there… Except for just wanting it all to end…" Brooke finished speaking in a shameful voice, and Haley could feel her shaking so much that it scared her almost as much as what Brooke had just admitted to her terrified her.

"Brooke…" Haley gasped in shock. She pulled Brooke out of her embrace and held onto her arms, so she could look at her face. Haley stared at her with worried, terrified eyes, understanding what a terrible emotional state Brooke had been in. She only now truly realized how Lucas and Peyton had almost caused her to lose Brooke, and that thought truly frightened her to no extent.

Brooke finally lifted her tear-filled eyes up to meet with Haley and Rachel's red, swollen ones. The remorse, guilt and hurt in Brooke's gaze blended with the fear, concern and anger in Haley and Rachel's looks and soon resulted in a large pool of emotions that was leaking from the eyes of all three girls.

"Promise me that you'll come to me if you ever feel like that again?" Haley tearfully pleaded with Brooke, fighting hard to restrain herself from sobbing in front of Brooke. When Brooke nodded with tears streaming down her face, Haley stressed once again, "To me or to Nathan or to Rachel?" she begged, counting off the three people who had fully been there for Brooke throughout this awful ordeal, the three people she knew that Brooke could fully trust.

"I promise…" Brooke almost voicelessly whispered, choking back a sob that tried to escape her lips.

"Come here…" Haley opened her arms and invited Brooke over for a hug, feeling the need to hold her friend and show her that she was there for her. In response, Brooke let out the cries that she had held back and fell into Haley's arms, pulling Rachel along into the hug.

"I will never forgive them for this…" Haley quietly said as she tightened her grasp on Brooke, unable to help but cry along with her now.

"Neither will I…" Rachel added in as her own tears washed her face. As she held Brooke while all three of them cried, she remembered the promise that she had made to herself after seeing how Brooke was beaten up and too depressed to live in the hospital. Rachel remembered how she swore to herself that she would never forgive the people who were responsible for the withering of her friend, and now she could specifically name all three of them- Victoria Davis, Peyton Sawyer and Lucas Scott…

* * *

The river-court's air was so cool that it stung Lucas' lungs, but he continued shooting hoop after hoop, nevertheless, not even caring if the ball had actually gone in the basket. He truly didn't care about the game he was playing or about how cold he was getting. All Lucas cared about at that moment was letting out the aggression that had been building up inside of him from the moment he had seen the bruises that littered Brooke's body. He was angry at himself for the decision to leave Tree Hill just when Brooke truly needed him, he was angry at himself for not returning home earlier, when he had sensed that something was wrong, and he was angry at himself for frightening and upsetting Brooke, instead of gently trying to be a good friend.

As the memory of the day in which both Angie and Brooke had fallen asleep in his arms entered Lucas' mind, he frustratedly threw the ball away. He would have given anything to go back to that time, when everything felt right and not messed up, when he had both the precious baby and the beautiful girl tucked safely into his sides. Things seemed truly perfect at that moment, with Angie's little feet twitching gently against his body in her sleep and with Brooke's warm, soft body lightly moving next to him according to her peaceful breaths, that Lucas felt truly guilty for leaving Brooke right after Angie was taken away from her, and shattering even more the feeling of the ideal family she had by her side with him and the little baby. Lucas truly wondered how things could have gone so wrong in such a short time- from Brooke looking radiant and blissful to her looking frightened and beaten up, from him playing house with Brooke, to Brooke not even wanting to be in the same house as him…

When a strong gust of wind hit Lucas' face and whisked his thoughts away, Lucas realized that he should probably return to his house, before he would catch a cold. He was just about to start walking back home when the strong headlights of a car that pulled up to the court blinded his vision. Lucas winced from the brightness that hit his eyes and, once the car turned and stopped in a way that its lights were no longer flashing in his eyes, he looked back up and saw Nathan and Jamie sitting in the car and looking at him.

"Get in, Luke" Nathan opened the window and ordered. After he had kicked Lucas out, Nathan finally spotted his son standing in the doorway of the guestroom and looking visibly shaken up and frightened. Nathan had immediately guided his reluctant son away from the sight of his godmother breaking down and offered to buy him a milkshake if he would agree to come with him. Even though Jamie had declined at first, fearing to leave Brooke alone after she was finally back, he had eventually agreed, as Nathan persistently insisted on the matter. Jamie had set only one condition- he had asked Nathan to have Lucas come along with them. The small boy didn't really understand why everyone was so upset with his uncle, who he had truly missed while he had been gone, and, thinking that bringing Lucas along might force his father and uncle to set the matters straight, had stubbornly demanded that Lucas would be part of their outing. Nathan, who had been willing to do anything to get his son out of the house by that point, had agreed, and that's how he found himself at the river-court, commanding Lucas to enter his car.

"Uncle Lucas, please come and have some milkshake with us!" Jamie asked as Lucas failed to respond to Nathan's command. He looked at Lucas with his big, blue eyes, giving him his saddest puppy face and providing him with no possibility but to nod and get in the car. There was nothing he wouldn't do for that boy, especially when he would give him that irresistible look.

Lucas took a seat in front, beside Nathan and quietly watched the road as Nathan drove. There were a million questions he had to ask his brother, but he knew better than to bring them up in front of his young nephew. When the three of them entered one of Tree Hill's small diners and Jamie insisted on going to watch his milkshake being made with the waitress, Lucas couldn't hold back anymore and anxiously asked.

"How is she?" Lucas blurted, causing Nathan's eyes to slip away from his son's distant figure, which he had been watching, over to Lucas.

"What were you thinking, man?!" Nathan exclaimed with rage, fighting to keep his angry voice down to a civil tone.

"I don't know what to think, Nate! I come back home and nobody will tell me what the hell is going on!" Lucas replied with frustration, causing Nathan to let out a sigh. Even though he was still angry at Lucas for upsetting Brooke, he could now tell that his brother didn't intentionally mean to harm her and could understand why Lucas was aggravated and disturbed by not knowing what had happened while he had been gone. However, he couldn't really help Lucas out, as he intended to keep his promise to Brooke.

"Just give Brooke some space. She's dealing with some stuff right now…" Nathan advised as much as he could without betraying his promise to Brooke.

"What kind of stuff? What's going on, Nate?" Lucas pleadingly asked Nathan, the confusion and concern in his eyes making it truly difficult for Nathan to refrain from sharing with him what he knew.

"She's been through a lot… When she'll be ready, she'll tell you. Don't pressure her, Luke" Nathan warningly guided Lucas, wanting to help his brother yet protect his fragile friend at the same time.

"God, I wish I would have never left!" Lucas angrily mumbled to himself, discouraged that even his brother wasn't willing to help him solve the mystery of what had happened while he had been absent.

"What was up with that anyway?" Nathan genuinely wanted to know. Things would have been completely different if Lucas would have been there for Brooke from the start, like he and Haley had been, that Nathan truly wanted to know if there was at least a good reason for Lucas' absence from Tree Hill.

"I made a mistake" Lucas admitted. As Nathan nodded understandingly and then shifted his eyes back to Jamie, who was helping the waitress add whipped cream to his milkshake, Lucas couldn't help but realize just how big of a mistake it had been. Knowing that the way he had handled the situation since he had returned had been just as wrong, Lucas guiltily added, "And another one earlier today…"

"You can say that again…" Nathan agreed with him. Even though he did feel bad for his brother, now that he understood that he only tried to care for Brooke, he was still slightly angry about the state he had put Brooke in.

"Do you think that I should come over and apologize?" Lucas looked over at his younger brother and asked, desperate for advice.

"Are you kidding me?" Nathan replied, slightly amazed by Lucas' proposal to return to their house after what his current visit had done to Brooke. When he observed Lucas sighing with discouragement in response, Nathan softened his tone and his scowl and supportively said, "Just give it some time, Luke… Maybe in a few days, if she's better…" he suggested. It was truly becoming a task for him to balance his compassion for his brother with the concern and care he felt for the girl who was like a sister to him.

"I guess you're right…" Lucas agreed and then slightly chuckled, "Seven years ago, who would have thought that I'd be getting lectured by you about how much of an ass I am…" he explained to Nathan the reason for his amusement and managed to put a grin on the dark-haired man's face, as he also realized how much their roles have been switched in those few years.

"Seven years ago, who would have thought that Rachel, my son, Brooke, Haley and I would be living under the same roof?" Nathan countered with a raised eyebrow, causing Lucas to laugh whole-heartedly.

"Definitely not me…" Lucas declared, giving Nathan a grateful smile. He truly appreciated the fact that Nathan was being such a good brother to him and, even though it saddened him that he couldn't be there for Brooke himself, was glad that at least Nathan was looking after her properly.

Nathan gave Lucas a reassuring nod, signaling that despite the events of the night and despite how furious he had been at him, he still had his back.

Their attention was soon averted back to Jamie, who returned to the table with the waitress, who was carrying three huge milkshakes covered with whipped cream and chocolate syrup.

"Aren't these the biggest milkshakes you've ever seen, uncle Lucas?" Jamie excitedly asked, hopping onto the seat next to Lucas with happy, glimmering eyes.

"Actually, I think that they are…" Lucas honestly answered, looking at his nephew with amusement. As he observed Jamie's wide smile, he was truly amazed of how little it had taken to turn Jamie from the sad child he had seen at Brooke's doorstep and into this ecstatic, joyful boy he was looking at. As he took a sip of his sugary drink and continued watching the content child beside him, Lucas just wished that he could find such a simple magic medicine for Brooke, which would take all her sorrows away as well…

* * *

**AN: Alright... I hope that you liked the two different approaches towards Lucas- with Nathan feeling bad for him and Haley and Rachel promising to never forgive him. His presence will obviously create a lot of tension up ahead, as well as more extremely dramatic events I have planned... ;-)**

**Now, as I promised, I'd like to tell you how much I appreciate your encouraging words. Thanks to- ****bella, brucasever, TaraFish, BRUCAS EQUALS LOVE, mesia, Brittany, SV, cocochanelgirl, whiters, Katie, Long Live Brucas and troypay-zashley-4ever for reviewing my latest chapter! Your reviews were truly awesome!**

**Special thank-you's (you guys didn't think I'd forget you, did you? ;-)) to- brucas3, IamCaroline, caitlives, flipflopgal, DANI, princessakarlita411, xCailinNollaigx, plasticlittlespastic, naley4ever323, Brucasfan23, cRaZyGuRl093, Anna-xx-Banana, NYJOEY, Jill Cohen, evergloweyes, miralinda and brookenlucas4eva03 for reviewing every time and giving me constant support for this story! My heart seriously breaks that I didn't find the time to write to you this week, because you are amazing! Love you all! ;-)**

**Last but not least, there are a few people to whom I seriously couldn't help myself but write a few words-**

**BrookeLucasForever- Thanks so much sweetie! I was really touched that you decided to open an account just so you could review! It was a huge compliment and I was extremely glad to hear that you're enjoying this chapter so much!**

**Shana- hun, you should seriously learn from BrookeLucasForever and get an account of your own, so I could thank you properly every time! lol... Seriously though, you are seriously amazing for following my writing since 'Trapped' and always writing the longest and best reviews in the world! ;-) There are so many times in which I just wish I could respond to what you write and tell you how much alike we think, because you manage to predict what will happen in my story so many times! Anyway, I'm taking this chance to thank you for everything! You're truly awesome!**

**journey4eva- You are the most dedicated reviewer I have, hun! I seriously can't believe that you've been reviewing everything I've written in this site from the very first chapter of 'Trapped'. I will always be grateful for you for supporting me even in the very beginning, when I had no idea what I was doing... lol... Your opinion has come to matter a lot to me, so thanks for always continuing to respond to what I post! You're really great! ;-)**

**Todd (Toddntan)- Thanks for always making my day with the funniest reviews ever! I feel like I truly gained such a wonderful reader with this story, so thanks for always putting a smile on my face! You rock! ;-)**

**Tanya(Tanya2byour21)- You're been a really loyal reader too, so I just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate your reviews, ever since 'Trapped'. I'm really lucky to have you as a reader! ;-)**

**Izzie(Iz-Belle91)- I just want to apologize for always making you cry... lol... Seriously though, you're truly great! I love how you get into this story emotionally and always tell me what you thought! Thanks for everything, hun! ;-)**

**sophiannabella- Thanks so much for the amazing reviews! You are so invloved in this story that when I read your reviews, I seriously know that I can't stop writing! Thanks for giving me so much motivation to write!**

**This is seriously the longest AN I've ever written... lol... It's almost as long as the chapter itself... I just really wanted to tell you how much your support matters, and if I forgot anybody by accident, I am truly sorry (if I did and you'll tell me, I promise to make it up to you next time...). Love you all! ;-)**


	15. Chapter 15

**I'm guessing you guys didn't expect such a quick update, but this chapter just wrote itself out! I hope you guys will enjoy this and as always- I'd love to hear what you thought!**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 15**

The setting rays of sun, which slipped through the shades, shined through Brooke's auburn hair and highlighted the fading marks on her face and arms. It was an early weekend evening and all the current residents of the Scott household were working together in a mutual effort to prepare dinner. While Rachel and Haley were cooking together in the kitchen, Nathan was chopping up a salad and Jamie and Brooke were setting the table together. They all worked in silence, which made the atmosphere seem tranquil, yet Rachel, Haley and Nathan's constant glances at their friend proved the tension with which they still eyed Brooke.

Several days had passed since Lucas had come by and all those surrounding Brooke knew better than to mention him to her yet. She was truly making progress- both physically and emotionally- no longer being frustratingly closed off, but actually trying to be as communicative as she could, but Haley, Nathan and Rachel still noted how quiet and pensive she seemed to be at times, and didn't want to do anything that would upset her or set her back and cause her to be closed off again. Therefore, despite the fact that Jamie had been constantly begging his parents to invite Lucas over, like they always would prior to his trip to Las Vegas, Haley and Nathan repeatedly refused, as they wanted to give Brooke the time to recuperate from the overwhelming encounter. They wanted to give her enough breathing space and therefore also wouldn't bombard her with questions when they would find her in one of the many pensive moments she would have, even though all three of her friends wished that they could get into Brooke's mind and see what she was thinking about.

As they all watched her silently setting the table, Rachel, Nathan and Haley all bit their tongues and refrained from questioning her about her feelings, but as Brooke remained disturbingly quiet throughout the entire meal, all three were finding it truly hard to keep from voicing their growing concern for her out loud.

When they had finished eating and Brooke still remained silent, Rachel couldn't help herself anymore. She walked over to Brooke, who was stacking the dirty plates one over the other with her unharmed hand, and let her eyes linger on the brunette for longer than the chaste glances she had been giving her throughout the entire evening. Rachel frowned as she noticed Brooke's slightly trembling form.

"Brooke, you look a little pale… Why don't you leave this and go to lie down?" Rachel suggested, gently placing her hand on Brooke's shoulder and staring at her with concern.

"I'm fine, Rache" Brooke replied, forcing a small smile for her friend's sake and continuing to clean up. Despite her friends' constant pleas that she would take it easy, Brooke insisted on making herself useful around the house as much as her body would let her. She truly didn't want to be treated as if she was disabled, even if she still wasn't completely back to her old, healthy self.

"Are you sure, Brooke? I can really take over from here…" Rachel quietly offered, keeping her eyes on the frail brunette.

As Brooke met Rachel's gaze, she could immediately see that her friend was seeing through her. She realized that the redhead had detected that something was wrong with her and, as she noticed Jamie looking up at her with worried eyes and frowning, Brooke indeed felt the need to leave the room for a bit and get away from all the concerned eyes that were following her every step.

"I'm just going to take a breath of air outside for a moment" Brooke accepted Rachel's offer and told her. She turned away from the table and was about to walk away, yet Rachel gently grabbed onto her arm before she could leave.

"Do you want me to come with you?" she whispered to Brooke, intending her question for Brooke's ears only. Rachel could tell that Brooke was uncomfortable with appearing vulnerable before her godson, and wanted to check with Brooke whether she could somehow help her.

In reaction to her question, Brooke gave Rachel another undimpled smile and shook her head, "No thanks, Rache. I'll be alright…" she said, the shakiness of her voice making it truly hard for Rachel to release her hold on Brooke and let her go out alone. She watched after Brooke with a sigh, walking closer to the door as Brooke stepped outside in order to be able to keep her friend in sight.

When Rachel saw a strong gust of wind hitting Brooke's form and causing her hair to fly in every direction and her body to shudder, Rachel was immediately prepared to rush outside and retrieve her friend, but Nathan, who had been watching over Brooke as well, beat her to it.

"Let me…" he asked as he brushed past her, grabbing Brooke's jacket from the coat rack on his way out. He truly didn't feel comfortable with Brooke being out of his house at night with anyone other than himself to protect her. As he stepped outside and looked at Brooke's small, shaking form, Nathan could truly feel his heart twitching in his chest. He knew that Brooke was truly trying to get over everything that had happened, but understood how tough of a task that must be and wished he could be even more of a help to her than he currently was.

As he quietly walked up to her and was about to cover her up with her jacket, Nathan was reminded of the need to introduce his presence to Brooke before he could touch her. "Hey…" he said as softly as he could. When Brooke still jumped in surprise, his heart truly broke, but Nathan managed to keep it together enough and say, "Are you trying to catch a cold, Davis?" as he eased the jacket onto her shoulders.

When Brooke only gave him a sad smile and shifted her eyes back to the street, Nathan softly sighed and took a seat next to his friend.

"What's going on, Brooke? You've barely said a word tonight…" Nathan asked Brooke with concern, moving his eyes over to the street as well in order to give Brooke some space and to prevent her from feeling like he was watching her every move. He patiently waited as Brooke remained silent and didn't pressure her to speak even when he could see her struggling to find the right words from the corner of his eye.

"It's… I'm just thinking about my life…" Brooke finally replied, her eyes still staring straight, but her words directly intended for Nathan's ears. "A lot has happened in the past few weeks and it made me think…" she softly said.

"About what?" Nathan gently asked, stealing a small glance at Brooke from the corner of his eye, as she struggled to swallow with the way her mouth was growing dry.

"I'm trying to figure out how to get my life back on track and I don't really know where to start… I can't exactly sketch now that my wrist is fractured" Brooke sadly sighed as she lifted her injured wrist up to her eye-level and absentmindedly dropped it when she added, "and it's not like I have too much inspiration to design clothes either nowadays…" she admitted in a distant voice, causing Nathan to comfortingly put his hand on her back in order for her to feel like things would be alright and in order to pull her back to him and prevent her from slipping away from them again.

"And… You guys have been amazing to me, but I'm gonna have to go back home soon…"

"Brooke…" Nathan cut her off in a protesting tone, finally shifting his eyes straight over to her as he could no longer look away from her. He wanted to argue and tell Brooke that she will be staying with them for as long as it will take, but as he saw that she still had more on her mind that she needed to let out, he silenced himself and just looked at Brooke and allowed her to continue.

"And when I do I'm gonna have to face how lonely it will be again and how much I wish I could have a family like you do, but there will be nobody there…" Brooke quietly admitted, planting her ashamed eyes in the floor and letting out a sad sigh. It was tough for her to open up and reveal her deepest pains, but something about the soothing way in which Nathan was rubbing circles on her back simply prevented her from keeping them in.

"Hey… You do have a family because we are your family, Brooke, and we want you to stay with us for as long as you'd like" Nathan sincerely said, "And even if you do decide that you want to return home at some point, you will still have us, so you won't ever be alone…" he promised Brooke, but as he saw that her eyes were still cast down and that she was still wishing she had a conventional family with a man and children of her own, Nathan added, "And when there will be a good guy who will be lucky enough to deserve someone as amazing as you are, you will have everything I know you're thinking about right now as well" Nathan confidently told Brooke as he squeezed her to him in a side hug.

"Thanks, Nate" Nathan smiled as he heard Brooke quietly say.

"Anytime, Brooke… Now let's get inside before we both get sick…" he suggested in a light tone, trying to put a smile on Brooke's face too.

"You go ahead… I'll come in a few minutes…" Brooke replied as she slipped away from Nathan embrace and looked straight ahead again. Nathan's comforting words certainly did make her feel better, but she had so much on her mind that she truly needed the fresh air that was helping her think clearly.

"I'm gonna stay right here, then, if you don't mind…" Nathan wanted to respect Brooke's wish, but was certainly not intending to leave her outside alone. When Brooke didn't reply, Nathan settled by her side again and looked at the quiet street again, engaging in his own thoughts as they both fell into a comfortable silence.

As a car that drove by several moments later slowed down a few houses ahead, Nathan briefly glanced at it and quickly returned to his deep personal thoughts when the car's lights were dimmed. The two brunettes were so caught up in their brooding that neither one noticed the man that came out of the car and approached them before he was standing right before them and looking at them curiously.

"Brooke Davis?" he questioned, causing both Nathan and Brooke to jump in surprise as they snapped out of their thoughts. Brooke's sharp, startled air-intake immediately caused Nathan to look over to her with concern.

"Are you alright?" he worriedly asked as he noted how pale Brooke had become. When she absentmindedly nodded, still holding her hand over her heart with fright, Nathan averted his gaze to the unknown man and frowned.

"Do we know you?" Nathan asked, a hint of annoyance evident in his tone.

"Phillip Smith, reporter for the 'Latest Scoop' magazine" the man introduced himself, stretching his hand forward for Nathan to shake but drawing it back moments later, upon receiving no hand in response.

"I'm here to ask you a few questions about an article on the ownership battle over _Clothes over Bros'_, Brooke. Can we begin?" the reporter asked, as if it was the most normal and ordinary thing in the world, causing Nathan's rage to quickly build up.

"Who sent you here?" Nathan angrily asked, his body tensing with fury as he protectively positioned himself slightly ahead of Brooke, as if shielding her from the man.

"Victoria Davis has given her side of the story already. She's the one who said that Brooke might be in Tree Hill" he nonchalantly replied, "Now, Brooke- are you planning to try and seize the company back in four months, or have you given up on it altogether?" Phillip asked, lifting his pen and notepad out, in the intention of writing Brooke's response down.

"Look, _Phillip_" Nathan practically spat out the reporter's name as he angrily rose to his feet and stepped up close to him in intimidating strides, "There will be no interview. Not today, or tomorrow, or at all. You are going to drive the hell away from here and leave Brooke alone, do you understand?" Nathan threateningly told Phillip as he stood before him, towering above him and looking like he was about to punch him at any moment.

"I'm not sure that Brooke will like what we will have to write in this article if she won't give us her side…" Phillip slyly smirked, causing Nathan's blood to boil in his veins. It was just moments ago that Brooke had expressed her doubts and insecurities about her life, that he knew that the last thing she needed was this stupid reporter to mess with her head.

"Nobody cares what your trashy magazine says, you idiot. Now get the hell out of here before I remove you myself!" Nathan angrily warned, giving the smaller man one last chance to leave his house's territory unharmed.

"This article will be all in favor of Victoria Davis if you don't let me do my job… It will be quite a shame…" Phillip's smug, taunting smile showed Nathan how much the reporter was enjoying irritating him and Brooke. As Phillip made no signs of leaving, as Nathan had asked him, Nathan's patience had come to an end.

"The only thing that will be a shame is the way your face will look tomorrow…" Nathan responded as he grabbed onto the reporter's shirt's collar, intending to hurt him for trying to bother Brooke. He had been carefully dodging stupid fights like this since one of them had gotten him confined to a wheelchair, but something about this smug guy simply set things off inside of him.

Nathan was just about to shove the reporter to the floor when both of them suddenly heard a car pulling out of the house's driveway and speeding away. As Nathan, who was still holding onto the reporter's collar, looked up to see what was going on, he was amazed to find out that the car that was driving away was Brooke's car. He whirled around and his eyes grew wide when he noticed that Brooke was nowhere to be found.

"Damn it!" Nathan cursed as he shoved the reporter away as soon as he realized that Brooke indeed fled away with her car and could be heading anywhere. He closed his eyes and rubbed his face with his hands, unable to believe that he had let Brooke run away.

"Well, I guess that there will not be an interview after all…" Phillip smiled maliciously as he brushed his hands over his slightly wrinkled shirt. Nathan glared at him with disbelief and would have beaten him up if he didn't have bigger worries on his mind at that moment.

"No there will not be, and if you ever dare to get near Brooke again, you'll regret the day that you decided to write garbage for a living, do you understand?" Nathan threatened one last time, before the reporter chuckled, got into his car and drove away in the opposite direction.

As Nathan realized that he was left alone in his front yard, he finally got back to his senses and realized that he needed to do something in order to get to Brooke before she could get too far away. He quickly ran into the house, his noisy, anxious entrance causing Rachel and Haley to immediately come up to him and look at him with concern.

"Nate, what's going on? Why are you running?" Haley worriedly asked her husband as she noticed the tension of his features.

"It's Brooke, Haley…" Nathan replied nervously, already causing her face to fall, "She took off with her car and I have no idea where she went…"

* * *

**AN: When I started writing this story, I was pretty sure that it would be shorter than 'Trapped' (which was 30 chapters long), but now that I'm halfway there and only started with the drama, I'm pretty sure that it will be just as long if not longer... Don't worry- there will be no psycho Dan in this one, even though Brooke's attacker is still somewhere out there and who know what could happen... I know it's a mean cliffhanger, but I just LOVE those, so my apologies for being mean! I promise to try to update as soon as I can! ;-)**


	16. Chapter 16

**First of all, I am truly sorry for taking longer than I told you to post this chapter... Things were crazy with school and I had a few family events to attend, so this was kind of pushed back... I hope that you guys haven't been waiting too much for this update and that you'll enjoy this!**

**I wish all of you a happy holiday (no matter which one you're celebrating) and hope that everyone managed to have a nice time with familiy and friends these past few days! ;-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 16**

She had only been driving for several minutes, but her hands were shaking so much and her vision had gone so blurry, that Brooke already understood that she needed to pull over in order to avoid an accident. She had definitely panicked. The encounter with the rude reporter had truly shaken her up, not only because of the fear of answering the questions that she knew he would ask, which she couldn't even answer for herself, or due to her new discomfort with being around other people, let alone strangers, but also because of the thought of the press prodding into her personal issues and publishing them nationwide. Brooke felt like that would be truly too much for her to handle at that moment, as merely the thought of the ownership battle being published and printed for every eye to see caused her hands to tremble.

As Brooke came to the realization that her mother, once again, must be the brains behind this attempt to hurt her, such an intense bolt of anger and hurt flashed through her body, that Brooke knew that she needed to stop the car and get out of it quickly. She suddenly felt like she was suffocating and as she gasped to breathe, Brooke realized that her vision was growing even hazier than before, from the mass of emotions that were clouding her eyes.

Brooke frantically searched around for a safe place to park the car, only now truly paying attention to where she had driven. It was as if her car had been driving by itself so far, because when Brooke finally realized where she was, she became so panicked that she immediately slammed her foot against the breaks and halted the car's drive in the middle of the road.

The car that had been driving right behind Brooke hysterically honked its horn, as it almost crashed into Brooke's vehicle, but miraculously managed to pass her safely. As he passed her, the other driver gave Brooke an infuriated glare, but Brooke was so fixated on the sight before her, that she didn't even notice him.

She didn't know how, but somehow she was one street away from her store. It was night again and she was alone again, and Brooke was certain that she wasn't ready to get anywhere near her store just yet, let alone enter it. Her body automatically tensed up and was involuntarily shaking so much, that she knew that she needed to stay away from the place where this whole nightmare had begun. She wished that she could return to the safety of Nathan and Haley's house, but in her current condition, she realized that there was no way she would be able to drive herself back there safely.

With the one last push of strength she had left inside, Brooke managed to slide her car into a parking spot that she luckily found, several feet from where she had stopped her car in the middle of the street, and turned the engine off. Taking a few deep breaths, Brooke attempted to calm herself down, but with no avail. The darkness, which was creeping up on her as she sat alone in her car, caused her to grow more and more uncomfortable and scared with every passing moment.

As she saw the bright lights of Tric glimmering from across the street from the corner of her eye, Brooke realized that it might be best for her to step inside the club and call one of her friends, so that they could pick her up. Despite her extreme discomfort with other people's company since the attack, Brooke knew that at that moment, she would feel better with other people around. At least then she wouldn't be frighteningly alone until Haley, Nathan or Rachel could come and get her.

Carefully and slowly, Brooke rose to her wobbly feet, holding onto her car for stability. She leaned on it for several moments, as she felt slightly light-headed, but soon started walking towards the lively club as she grew steadier.

With every small step she took, the noisy music that originated from Tric became louder and louder, causing Brooke to feel more and more uncomfortable. Despite the growing signs of panic, which she could feel rising inside of her, Brooke carefully ascended the stairs to the club, holding onto the railing for stability. As a man that happened to walk down the stairs stared at her with a drunken smile, Brooke's heart started pounding in her chest in a speedy pace. For the first time since the attack, with the exception of her two visits in the hospital, Brooke was about to enter a place where she would have to be in the company of many strangers, by whom she was bound to feel intimidated. Even though the man didn't even say a word to her and simply continued walking away, Brooke couldn't help but flash back to the man who had made her so jumpy and scared in the first place, and shudder.

When she finally managed to reach the top of the stairs and took a few hesitant steps into the club, Brooke immediately knew that she had made a mistake. She could sense how every man that she had passed by was staring at her in a way that would usually cause her to grin playfully, but which was now making her tense up and uncomfortably shift her gaze away.

Brooke flinched as a man brushed past her and accidently grazed her arm. She took several steps away from the guy, who didn't even notice how his unintentional act affected her, and bumped into something with her back. Brooke yelped in surprise and fear and jerked away, whirling to face what she had just hit with her back.

"Hey… Are you alright?" gladly for Brooke, the man she had backed into was none other than Owen, the one person in the room she seemed to be least intimidated by. She wasn't completely comfortably around him either and was still disgusted by his disappearance from her life, but due to the fact that she was at least familiar with him, he was the person that she trusted the most inside the club not to hurt or harm her.

"Brooke?" Owen's expression grew even more concerned as he recognized the trembling woman before him and realized just how pale she was. "Brooke, what's the matter? Are you alright?" Owen worriedly asked. He tried to put his hand on Brooke's shoulder, but she immediately pulled away from him and noticeably flinched.

"Don't touch me!" Brooke exclaimed, causing Owen to draw his hand away from her and look at her apologetically.

"Listen, Brooke- I know I've been a jerk to you, and you didn't deserve that, but I'm just trying to-"

"It's not that…" Brooke cut into his speech. She seriously couldn't listen to his apologies at that moment, when all she desperately wanted to do was to leave the club and be able to breathe properly. "I need…" Brooke tried to ask Owen for his cell-phone, but the words didn't come out of her mouth as her breaths became even more strained and uneasily-taken.

As Owen finally noticed that Brooke's rejection to his touch had more to it than the immature way he had disappeared from her life, he frowned with even greater worry and asked, "Did anyone in here do something to you?"

"No…" Brooke immediately shook her head, but as Owen noticed the protective way in which she had suddenly wrapped her arms around herself, he understood that something was definitely going on.

"Come on" despite how she had tensed up, Owen took her healthy hand into his and led her to the bar, "Sit down and I'll buy you a drink" he told her as he seated her on one of the bar stools and joined the other bartender, who he had only intended to leave for a five minute break, inside the bar. Owen realized without a doubt that a drink wasn't what Brooke needed. As a former alcoholic, who knew how bad things could be if you resort to drinking instead of handling your problems in a productive way, Owen was certain that alcohol wouldn't heal the fear and confusion that he could see in Brooke's eyes, but didn't have a better idea as to how he could help her out. He truly couldn't stay indifferent to Brooke's broken appearance, and the only way he knew to ease his own pain was with alcohol.

"I just need to make a phone call…" Brooke tried to tell him as she watched him pour the clear liquid for her in a small glass, but her soft, scratchy voice blended in all the noise she was surrounded by and failed to reach Owen's ears properly.

"Here you go" Owen placed the shot glass in front of Brooke. He paused in front of her and stared at her as he realized that Brooke had something to say to him, yet as an impatient customer called him, he sighed and reluctantly said, "I'll be back in a sec… Enjoy your drink in the mean time…" afterwards leaving Brooke behind on her own.

As Brooke sat on the bar stool, alone with the shot glass that Owen had given to her, she looked around and noticed how all the people that surrounded her in the bar area were downing shots of their own. She stared down at the untouched drink that Owen had poured her and was suddenly reminded of how alcohol used to drown all of her sorrows back when she had been in high-school. Trying to shake the thought out of her mind, she looked up to see where Owen was, and noticed that several customers were keeping him busy. Shifting her eyes back to her glass, Brooke realized that it would take a while before Owen could be free to approach her and enable her to call her friends, and in a moment of hazy judgment, quickly lifted her glass and downed it.

Brooke grimaced as the strong drink entered her system and started flowing through her veins, but by the time Owen had returned to check on her, a familiar feeling of warmth spread through her body and caused the tension and fear that had consumed her to become hazy.

"Sorry about that…" Owen apologized for walking away from her when he could clearly see that something was bothering her, "What can I do for you, Brooke?" he sincerely asked, keeping in mind the fact that she had tried to tell him something before he had left her behind.

"Get me another one…" Brooke mumbled, wanting the light numbing affect that the drink had on her to grow stronger. She knew that the rational thing to do was to ask Owen for his phone before she would get herself drunk, but the temptation to be drifted into a worriless state of mind was too great.

"Brooke, are you sure?" Owen hesitated, already regretting the fact that he had caused her to start drinking in the first place.

"Make it a double" Brooke told him with a nod, causing Owen to realize that he was officially a jerk for getting her to drink instead of taking care of her. He unwillingly poured the drink for Brooke and handed it to her, watching her worriedly as she downed it in an instant and gestured for a refill.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea, Brooke…" Owen tried to tell her. He was feeling guilty as hell by now for pouring her the first drink and not acting as a gentleman and offering to drive her away from the busy club when he had first seen how troubled she was. He had been able to tell that something was wrong with her from the instant he had laid eyes on her, but as Owen noticed the faded bruises on her face and her bandaged wrist, he understood that things must have been worse than he had first assessed and wished that he would have acted differently.

In reaction to Owen's words, Brooke frowned, "Why? Are my drinks getting expensive for you?" she snapped and then added, "Don't worry, Owen, I intend to pay for everything I ordered on my own…"

"Brooke, it's not about that… Everything is on me tonight, but-"

"Good" Brooke cut him and stared him in the eye, as if challenging him to stand behind his word this time, "Then start pouring…"

Left with no other choice, Owen poured Brooke another double dosage of the intoxicating drink, hoping that he wasn't causing the lost girl before him more harm than comfort…

* * *

"Brooke?" countless drinks later, Owen returned back from the other customers that had kept him busy over to Brooke, and found her passed out on the bar. He had been occupied by a party of ten young men, who came to celebrate a birthday, and didn't notice that his fellow bartender had been continuously refilling the brunette's glass, according to her constant requests. Owen hadn't been there when Brooke drank shot after shot, until her vision and consciousness grew hazy and she could no longer hold her head up. He hadn't seen how she had laid it down on the bar and slumped over the barstool on which she was sitting. He had only reached her as her intoxicated body had been weighed down by the strong liquid she had consumed, and couldn't do a thing but beat himself up inwardly for initiating the act that had caused Brooke to be in the state in which he just found her.

Owen frowned as he noticed how the man that had been sitting next to Brooke was taking advantage of her unaware state in order to step over to her and start to try to lift her up to her feet and lead her out of the club.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" Owen raised his voice at the man as he stared at him with a threatening look in his eyes.

"It's cool man… I know her" the man had the audacity to grin through his lie, "Right, baby?" he brought Brooke into his arms and pinned her to his body, receiving a groan and a drooping head from the passed out girl in his hold.

"No you don't! Get the hell out of here!" Owen demanded with rage, glaring at the man intimidatingly.

"Gladly…" the guy replied, squeezing Brooke's pant-clad thighs with his arm as he lifted her up against him and caused Owen's jaw to tighten for the way this bastard was harassing Brooke when she wasn't even able to fight him, when she was completely helpless against him.

"Hey!" Owen yelled after the man as he started to walk away from the bar, carrying Brooke's lifeless body in his arms. Owen inwardly cursed as he realized that by the time that he would be able to get out of the bar, this jerk might manage to disappear with Brooke, but quickened his steps in the hopes of catching up to the guy and giving him a lesson or two.

When he was finally out of the bar cubicle, Owen surveyed his surroundings and didn't initially spot Brooke and the man that had abducted her. Realizing that he had to reach Brooke before the guy that had taken her would have a chance to take advantage of her, Owen frantically walked around the bar, studying every corner of the club that his eyes could see. His heart started beating quickly and forcefully as he couldn't find Brooke and understood that the man might have already been able to pull her out of the club.

Just as he was about to race to the club's exit, in the hopes of tracking Brooke down before she would completely disappear, he heard loud yelling sounds from a crowded area of the club, and quickly rushed over to it, praying to find Brooke in the middle of the fight that seemed to be forming…

* * *

Five minutes earlier, Lucas sighed with exhaustion and frustration as he entered the club he had known so well; where he had both shared happy moments with his mother and friends, and had also come to drink away his pain in so many occasions. This time, his intention was the latter.

The last few days had been truly rough for Lucas, as he refrained from contacting Brooke, still dwelling over the emotional damage his meeting with her seemed to have inflicted on her, yet couldn't stop thinking about the heartbreaking condition in which he had last seen her. When he accidently came across an old photo of Brooke and himself from the days in which they were still a couple, Lucas realized that he desperately needed a drink. Just the sight of those deep dimples, which he so dearly adored, caused him to fill with rage and agony as he wondered who and what had dared hurt the pretty girl from the photo, so much that those lovely dents were replaced by bruises. Therefore, as he entered the club, Lucas had one main goal in mind- to get drunk so that he could forget the disturbing thoughts that wouldn't leave his mind as long as he remained sober.

Lucas slowly entered the club and started to make his way towards the bar, completely ignoring the flirtatious looks he was receiving from the many women he had passed by. He was truly not in the mood for games or company tonight- he just wanted to grab a few beers alone and suppress the misery he had been feeling since he had returned to Tree Hill.

Lucas had only managed to take a few steps towards the bar and then froze as he saw Brooke's body leaning on it. He couldn't believe that of all places Brooke could be, she had chosen to exact same one that he had picked to come to in order to avoid his thoughts about her. Lucas was about to turn around and leave in order to give Brooke the space he had promised Nathan that he would grant her, but frowned as he suddenly realized how limp Brooke's body appeared to be. He knew without a doubt that Nathan and Haley would have never allowed Brooke to drink so much that she couldn't even function and then leave her alone, and just then understood that something might have happened that night, which caused Brooke to come to the club on her own and drink her way into oblivion. As he surveyed the area around Brooke and saw no traces of Haley, Nathan or even Rachel, Lucas' suspicions were confirmed.

Just as he decided to approach Brooke, Lucas could see how the man that had been sitting next to her rose to his feet and came up to her, pulling her lifeless body against him. With loud alarming bells ringing in his ears and rage pulsating through his veins, Lucas began to quickly stride over to the duo, intending to rip Brooke out of the man's beastly grasp. As he hurriedly made his way over to the bar, he was relieved to see Owen trying to stop the guy's actions, buying him precious time to reach Brooke, yet was alarmed to see that the man managed to sneak away from Owen, nonetheless. As Lucas realized that by the time that Owen would manage to circulate the bar, the guy would be able to disappear with Brooke, he understood that he was Brooke's only solid hope for salvation. He therefore hastened his steps and followed the man with his eyes like a hawk, knowing that he couldn't afford losing him.

Lucas practically stormed past the partiers in the club as he attempted to reach Brooke and finally caught up to the man that held her and cornered him as they both reached a crowded area. He forcefully turned the guy around and gave him a powerful punch in the face, being very careful to only hit the man and not the unconscious girl in his arms.

"Get your hands off of her, you sick bastard!" Lucas demanded, feeling his fist rising on its own to punch the man's face once again.

"What's your problem, man?" the guy dared to reply, causing Lucas' blood to boil in his veins.

"I said- fucking let go of her!" Lucas hollered, tearing Brooke out of the man's arms with one hand while shoving him with the other hand. The guy stumbled back and fell to the ground, not before crashing into several partiers, who had been dancing behind him, and drawing their attentions to the occurrence behind them.

"What the hell is going on?" one of them questioned, looking at the man on floor at first and then moving his gaze over to the place he had arrived from and meeting the sight of Lucas holding an unconscious Brooke in his arms.

"This bastard tried to take advantage of my friend!" Lucas replied when he noticed that all the eyes around him were set on him, his voice clearly expressing the rage he was feeling at that moment.

"Is she O.K.?" the standing man asked, his features tightening into a frown as he noticed the state that Brooke was in.

In response to the question he had been asked, Lucas froze and tilted his gaze down to Brooke. He had been so busy with catching up to Brooke and saving her, that he didn't even have a moment to look at her and see how she was doing so far.

"Brooke?" he squeezed her to him as he studied her pale form and noted just how calm she seemed to be- she was so serene, too serene for things to be alright.

Before Lucas could even answer, his gaze once again drifted away from Brooke and over to the scene that was unfolding before him, as he noticed the man on the floor scrambling to his feet and starting to run away.

"Hey!" Lucas called out, feeling his fury burning his body at the thought of this jerk getting away with what he had tried to do to Brooke and being somewhere out there. Even though some of the people in the group of partiers before him had already started racing after the escaping man, Lucas strengthened his grasp on Brooke's body and started making his way in the direction that the man had gone, only to be halted by a strong hand that held him back.

"You'd better let someone else take care of that and get her out of here" Lucas turned around to see who had spoken to him and was met with Owen's concerned face. As Owen's eyes moved from Lucas and over to the limp body that he was holding, Owen worriedly asked, "How is she doing?"

"I don't know!" Lucas truthfully replied, only now allowing the panic that he had suppressed to surface. He once again looked down at Brooke's pale face and gently shook her in his arms, trying to elicit a response out of her, "Brooke? Come on, baby girl, open your eyes!" he pleaded with the beautiful, yet lifeless rag doll in his arms. "Brooke!" Lucas desperately called out to her as the panic that he was sensing was becoming more and more evident in his voice and features.

"I think that she just had too much to drink…" Owen sheepishly offered his explanation for Brooke's condition as his concern for Brooke started blending in with guilt.

When Lucas detected the self-blame in Owen's voice, he squinted his eyes and bluntly asked, "How many drinks did you give her?" the accusing nature of his question becoming further evident in his tone.

"Three, but the other bartender gave her more when I didn't notice…" he admitted, shifting his eyes away from Lucas' piercing ones and over to the motionless girl in his arms. As he looked at her, Owen could only pray that Brooke would give them some kind of sign that she was alright, and therefore was truly relieved when Brooke gently shifted in Lucas' arms and let out an agitated groan.

"Look, I think that she'll be fine, but someone should be watching over her until she comes to…" Owen advised, knowing both as a bartender and as a former alcoholic what needed to be done in cases such as this. "Hopefully she can sleep this off, but just in case…"

"I know…" Lucas cut Owen off, understanding what Owen was about to say and not wanting to think about any possible complications that Brooke could suffer from. He wasn't planning on leaving her side until she would be alright anyway, even without Owen's suggestion.

"Take good care of her, alright?" Owen suddenly softened up and asked Lucas, "I don't know what happened to her before she got here, but she obviously wasn't O.K…." Owen said, looking at Brooke worriedly. He knew that he didn't really have a right to know what was going on in Brooke's life after he was the one that chose to vanish from it, but he still cared about her and didn't want to see her hurting.

Lucas simply nodded in response, relating to Owen's feelings more than Owen could even know. He, too, cared a lot about Brooke and truly wanted to look after her, but knew that his past actions were standing in his way of doing that. He hoped that in time, Brooke would be able to forgive him and let him back in, but at that moment, he was only thinking about making sure that she was going to be safe and physically well. Bearing what he knew was best for Brooke in mind, Lucas started heading out of the club with her in his arms, just praying that the lost girl he cared for so much was going to be alright…

* * *

**AN: Alright- I hope that this still counted as Brucas interaction, even though Brooke wasn't exactly communicating with Lucas... Even if not, I hope that the fact that he has finally saved Brooke helped you guys look at him more favorably and I promise that this incident is the first step that will help Brooke and Lucas get closer to one another again! I really hope that you guys liked this (as always- I'd love it if you let me know what you thought) and once again- I wish everyone a happy holiday! ;-)**


	17. Chapter 17

**Since we're finally getting OTH back tonight, I was filled with motivation to write this chapter, but I hope that it isn't a mess, since I had to write it while I did a million other things... I hope that you will enjoy this and that tonight, we will finally get a big enough dosage of Brooke on the show! ;-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 17**

Lucas' muscular arms tensed as he slowly lowered Brooke from the cradling embrace in which he had held her and onto the passenger seat of his car. Despite how careful he had been, Brooke's upper body dropped towards him as soon as he let go of her, causing Lucas to stretch his arms forward in alarm, in a move that luckily ended with Brooke landing into his secure grasp.

"God, Brooke…" Lucas muttered worriedly as he straightened her back up and secured the seatbelt around her upper form. He instinctively sent his hand towards Brooke's face, gliding his gentle fingers through Brooke's unruly hair in order to straighten it out and tuck the stray strands of hair behind her ear. As her face was finally revealed, Lucas paused to stare at Brooke's features, feeling his heart tighten in his chest as he took in her severely drunken state.

"What happened to you, pretty girl?" Lucas mumbled out as he continued looking sadly at his first love and trying to figure out what had gotten her to be so broken. He had been so caught up in staring at Brooke, that only when she uncomfortably shifted for a moment did he snap out of his daze and walk over to the driver's side of the car after carefully closing the passenger seat's door.

As he turned on the engine of the car, Lucas gave Brooke a short glance and sighed with concern at the sight. He carefully squeezed Brooke's limp hand in his, as if to show her that things would be alright, and drove off, heading towards where he believed that Brooke should be brought…

* * *

"Hello?" Nathan's stressed and exhausted voice filled the phone and immediately caused Haley, who had called him, to tense up.

"Please tell me that you found her, Nathan!" Haley immediately pleaded with her husband. When Nathan only sighed and remained silent, Haley could feel her heart starting to pound much more quickly in her chest. "Nate, please tell me you've got Brooke safely in the car next to you, and that you're both on your way home right now!" she asked him again, already understanding that she wasn't about to receive the good news that she was hoping for, but refusing to believe that Brooke could still be somewhere out there after all the time that both Nathan and Rachel had been out looking for her. Haley truly wished that she could have also gone out to help, but she understood that someone needed to stay behind with Jamie and be in the house in case Brooke would come back on her own, so she had quickly given Rachel her car keys and since then had been praying that things won't end up as badly as they almost did the last time in which Brooke had fled.

However, as she heard Nathan mumble an, "I'm sorry, Hales…" her stomach dropped and she realized just how terrible things looked.

"Oh god…" Haley buried her face in her hands and collapsed onto the sofa as the gravity of the situation was starting to sink in for her.

"It's going to be alright, Haley" Nathan tried to reassure his wife when he heard just how hopeless she sounded, "I'll do whatever it takes to bring Brooke back home" he promised.

"I can't believe that this is happening again, Nathan…" Haley told him worriedly, remembering vividly the condition in which Brooke had been found the previous time that she had run away. She let out a deep breath, trying to rid herself of the disturbing thought that Brooke might be in need of medical care this time as well.

"We'll find her, Hales. I won't rest until we do…" Nathan vowed, bothered by the exact same thoughts as his wife. He was about to continue speaking calming words to her when his phone signaled to him that another caller was trying to get through to him.

"I've got another call, Hales…" Nathan told Haley and immediately added, "It might be Rachel, so I'll talk to you later…" he explained, wanting Haley to understand why it was so important to him to take the other call.

"Bye" Haley immediately replied and quickly hung up, as if clearing the line for Nathan might provide them with the information about Brooke's whereabouts, about which they were both so anxious to find out. As she crossed her fingers and hoped for the best, Nathan eagerly accepted the phone call.

"Hello?" Nathan greeted once again, hoping that he was about to be told that Brooke had been finally found. As he continued to drive slowly and search Tree Hill's dock area with his eyes for any sign of his brunette friend, Rachel's voice indeed filled his car.

"It's me…" she said, causing Nathan to hold his breath for a moment, as he waited to hear what news that she had to share with him. When she asked, "Any luck?" all the air left Nathan's body as though he was a deflating balloon. Rachel's unwanted response was like a punch in the stomach for him.

"Nothing… I was hoping that you found her by now…" Nathan admitted, starting to feel the desperation creeping up on him. He knew that he and Rachel might be losing precious time and was growing increasingly frustrated that their search had yet to result in productive findings.

"What the hell are we gonna do, Nathan?" Rachel worriedly asked, letting out a tense sigh which carried the terrible thoughts that were constantly filling her up from inside. She truly couldn't believe that they still had no idea as to where Brooke was after over an hour of searching for her.

"We're gonna keep looking until we find her" Nathan rationally instructed. He also felt like he was about to lose it, but he realized that once again, he had no choice but to be the strong one in this.

"O.K." was all Rachel could let out as her worries ate her from inside. The mere thought of how close they had been to losing Brooke the previous time she had decided to run away was already causing her eyes to fill with tears. She let out yet another deep, shaky breath, trying to push her emotions away and focus on her task to bring her friend back home safely. She knew that she wouldn't be able to bear it if she would have to see Brooke in the devastating state she had been in several days earlier again.

After several moments of silence, in which neither Nathan nor Rachel knew what to say to each other and just wordlessly exchanged their growing concern for their friend, Nathan finally spoke, "Just call me if you find anything. I'll do the same…" he said.

"I hope we'll talk again soon, then…" Rachel concluded the conversation, succeeding in maintaining the sad smile that she had put on only until she heard Nathan hanging up the phone. As soon as the line was dead, Rachel couldn't help but allow the bitter tears that clouded her vision to fall down her cheeks and the suppressed sob that she had been holding back to tumble out of her mouth.

"You've gotta be O.K., Brooke… You've gotta be O.K…." she cried as she continued to survey Tree Hill's deserted freeway with her watering eyes, finding no evidence that could lead her way over to her beloved friend and feeling the terrible feeling in the pit of her stomach spreading out through her body more and more with every passing second…

* * *

"Yeah?" Nathan had only been able to drive silently for several minutes before his phone rang yet again. He was edgy as it was and already drained from the two phone calls he just had, that when his phone rang for a third time in a row, he felt like he was about to snap.

"Nate, it's me…" Nathan could immediately recognize his brother's voice from the other side of the phone and sighed impatiently. He was well aware that his brother was having a tough time those past few days, but was truly incapable of genuinely giving Lucas his attention at that moment, when all of his thoughts were revolving around Brooke.

"Luke, now's not the best time for a talk…" Nathan gently tried to turn him down.

"Nate, just listen-"

"Look, Lucas" Nathan cut his brother off, thinking that Lucas hadn't been able to understand his hint, "I really can't talk to you right now" he said in a stronger tone, "Brooke's missing and-"

"I know" now was Lucas' turn to cut his brother off. As Lucas glanced over at the sleeping beauty in the seat next to him and made sure that she was breathing properly, Nathan remained speechless, shocked due to his brother's unpredictable answer.

"Wh… What do you mean 'you know', Luke?" Nathan finally found his voice and questioned.

"I mean that Brooke is in the car next to me and we're both driving over to your house right now" Lucas informed Nathan calmingly, realizing how stressed out his brother must have been.

"God, Lucas… How did you…? Is she O.K.?" Nathan could barely form a coherent sentence as the relieving news sank in. He let out several deep breaths as he turned the car around in order to drive back to his house and awaited his brother's answer.

"I'll let you see for yourself, Nate…" was the best response that Lucas could come up with, considering the circumstances. He didn't want to get Nathan even more worried than he obviously was, but couldn't bring himself to lie to him either.

"Lucas-" Nathan worriedly began, but Lucas quickly cut into his speech again.

"Listen, Nathan- I'll explain everything when I see you, alright?" he promised, realizing that he couldn't upset his brother while he was driving.

"Luke, just promise me that she's alright…" Nathan asked, but Lucas had already hung up his phone, leaving Nathan just as worried as he had been before.

"Damn it…" Nathan mumbled as he realized that Lucas was obviously keeping something from him. Determined to find out just how Brooke was doing with his own eyes, Nathan sped up and started to frantically drive over to his home.

It had only taken him several minutes to reach his house's driveway and slide into it, right behind Lucas' car, which arrived merely seconds before him. As he saw Lucas coming out of the car and walking over to the passenger's side, Nathan's eyes widened with the realization that Brooke needed assistance to get out of the vehicle, and he immediately sprang out of his car as well and raced over to his brother.

"Oh my god…" Nathan mumbled in shock as he witnessed Lucas picking up a lifeless Brooke into his arms and holding onto her drooping body tightly. "What the hell happened?" Nathan demanded to know.

"I found her like this at Tric, in the arms of some perv that tried to get out of the club with her" Lucas summarized the night's events as he adjusted Brooke's body in his embrace. He saw Nathan's jaw tighten as he learned about the unpleasant events of the night and tightened his grasp on Brooke protectively as thoughts of what had happened in the club entered his mind too.

"He fucking drugged her?!" Nathan asked in rage, wanting to kill the guy, who he thought was responsible for the state that Brooke was currently in.

"No… The bartender said that she had too much to drink and this bastard just tried to take advantage of the situation" Lucas explained what he had seen for himself and had been told by Owen.

"I can't believe I let her get away…" Nathan guiltily shook his head as he looked down at his friend and took in the damage that had been caused to her since she fled away from his house earlier that night. He simply couldn't believe that Brooke had drunk herself into unconsciousness and had almost been harassed since the last time he had seen her.

"She'll be fine, Nate" Lucas reassured Nathan, seeing how tortured he seemed to be, "I got to her before anything happened" he calmingly said.

"Thank god, Luke" Nathan tilted his gaze from the limp brunette and over to his brother, and looked at him with emotion-filled eyes. He didn't have enough words to express just how grateful he was to hear that Lucas had managed to save Brooke, but his eyes spoke of his relief and gratitude in great depth and intensity.

When they both noticed that Brooke started to slightly shiver in Lucas' arms, Nathan immediately offered, "Come on… Let's get her inside" and then the two brothers made their way over to the house.

At the instant in which Nathan had opened the door for Lucas, Haley's worried voice could immediately be heard, "Is that you, Nate? Did you find Brooke?" she questioned as she approached the door, before she could even see who had come into her house. When she finally saw all of those who were standing in her house's doorway, Haley's concerned expression blended with a frown as her eyes stilled on the blond man that was facing her.

"What is he doing here?" Haley angrily asked Nathan as she continued staring at Lucas with resentment.

"Haley, come on" Nathan tried to calm his wife down, "This isn't the time to-"

"What did you do to her?" Haley didn't even let Nathan finish his sentence before she moved over to accusing Lucas for the sight that her eyes laid upon.

"I didn't do anything-"

"Lucas, I swear-" Haley cut into Lucas' speech and started to threaten him, only to be cut off by Nathan.

"Haley, Lucas didn't hurt Brooke, he helped her, so please just let him come in" Nathan spoke calmly and quietly, in a failing attempt to help his wife settle down.

"He is _not_ coming into my house!" Haley exclaimed, remembering all too clearly how Brooke had cried heartbreakingly as she had told her about her encounter with Lucas in Las Vegas. Even if Lucas had saved Brooke this time, Haley most certainly wasn't ready to forgive him for how he had almost broken her apart before.

"Haley, you need to calm down, baby" Nathan put his hands on his wife's shoulders and quietly instructed her. He knew that she was upset and angry at Lucas, but he thought that his brother deserved to at least be let into his house after he had rescued Brooke that night. It was clear to him that Lucas was trying to win Brooke's trust back, and Nathan saw how he had stepped up for her that night as a first step in this process.

"Don't tell me to calm down, Nathan!" Haley refused to relax, "I want you to get him out of here!" she said, starting to get worked up.

"Haley, I know that you're mad, but this is my house too and Lucas is my brother..." Nathan softly told her, trying to make her understand his position in this situation. "Why don't you go and call Rachel to tell her that Brooke's here, while Lucas can lay Brooke down, and then we can all talk this over rationally" he advised, pleading with her with his eyes to agree with his request.

"Nathan…" Haley was about to refuse, but when she saw how his eyes were begging her to go along with his request, she fell silent.

"Please…" Nathan added, looking at her with his irresistible blue eyes and that did it. Haley sighed with discontent as she moved over and made room for Lucas to pass through the door and into her house. As he walked past her with the unconscious Brooke in his arms, Haley kept on glaring at him, yet didn't say a word.

"Thank you, baby" Nathan pulled her into his arms as he slid into the house as well and kissed her on top of her head, grateful for how much she was willing to do for him.

"Don't thank me yet… We seriously are going to have that conversation you talked about…" Haley told him with a sigh as she let herself lean into his chest for a moment, before instructing him, "And go keep an eye on Brooke while I call Rachel. I want Lucas down here as soon as Brooke is tucked in!" she ordered, causing Nathan to smile slightly.

"Yes Ma'am!" he said as he slowly let go of her and winked at her reassuringly, finally eliciting a small smile out of her. Having realized that he had managed to ease Haley's tension, Nathan finally let himself leave her side, and walked up the stairs, to see if he could help Lucas out with Brooke.

As he reached the guestroom, Nathan found his brother gently adjusting the blankets around Brooke's small frame. He paused in the doorway, feeling almost uncomfortable to interrupt the scene before him, and just looked at Lucas taking care of their unconscious friend. He silently watched as Lucas attentively and tenderly worked to ensure that Brooke was lying in a comfortable position and was covered with enough blankets to keep her warm.

As Nathan observed how Lucas paused by Brooke's side and gently brushed her hair out of her face, he was suddenly reminded of the time in high school during which the two were together as a couple. Just like back then, when Lucas used to be oblivious to anything around him that wasn't Brooke when she would be by his side, he also didn't notice Nathan's presence at the doorstep now, as Brooke was all he could see. When Nathan focused on the emotion-filled look his brother had in his eyes, he was even more thrown back to the past, to that very time when Brooke was Lucas' entire world.

As he saw how Lucas suddenly placed his hand on Brooke's back and started to trace gentle, soothing circles on her back, Nathan didn't have a doubt in mind that Lucas still had deep feelings for her and that, despite everything that Haley had accused him of, Lucas would never intentionally harm Brooke. Nathan knew that Lucas had made mistakes in the past, which had caused Brooke a lot of pain, but as he saw how caringly and gently he was treating her now, any possible thoughts he might have had about asking Lucas to leave went flying out the window, as he could see just how genuinely and dearly Lucas cared about Brooke.

When Lucas let out a heavy-hearted sigh, Nathan could no longer remain passive. He quietly stepped into the room and when Lucas was still fixated on Brooke, softly said, "She'll be alright, man" finally causing Lucas to look away from Brooke and notice him.

"Come on, Luke" Nathan helped his brother up to his feet and looked at him with great compassion, "Let's go downstairs and let Brooke get some rest…" he advised, seeing how disturbed Lucas seemed to be. When he saw how Lucas was uneasily looking at Brooke, Nathan reassured, "She'll be fine… Come on…"

Lucas nodded and reluctantly left the room, glancing back at Brooke one more time before he followed Nathan back downstairs. He was well aware that Haley wasn't going to make things easy for him, but for a change, he was determined to fight, as he wasn't willing to leave Brooke alone before he would see that she was alright with his own eyes.

"Have a seat, Luke" Nathan offered as they reached the living room. Lucas did as he was told and was left alone for several moments, as Nathan went to the kitchen, claiming to want to get him a glass of water. While Lucas sat there, he could indistinctly hear Nathan and Haley's muffled voices coming from the kitchen, and was able to vaguely make out his brother's attempt to explain to wife what had happened that night.

When Nathan and Haley finally reappeared in the living room, Haley had her arms defensively crossed over her chest, but to Lucas' surprise, she opened her mouth and said, "You can stay…"

"Thank you, Haley…" Lucas replied in shock, barely able to believe his ears. Even though her tone was still bitter and quite unfriendly, it was definitely a great improvement from the greeting he had received from her when he had first walked into her house, and Lucas was truly pleasantly surprised. His happiness was slightly reduced, however, when Haley continued to speak.

"And when I say 'stay', I mean down here, and not up there with Brooke" Haley made her condition, speaking in a strict tone that left no room for arguments, yet Lucas couldn't help but respond.

"Haley, come on…" He began, yet the way that the glare in Haley's eyes intensified immediately shut him up.

"Do I need to remind you how your last encounter with her ended?" Haley spoke so harshly that Lucas immediately bowed his head in shame. She stared at him incredulously for a few moments before she added, "Until I know for sure that Brooke is comfortable to be around you, you're not going back up there, Lucas, and I don't care _what_ you did for her tonight!"

The living room grew tensely silent as Lucas wordlessly took Haley's words in. When he finally managed to find his voice back, he slightly nodded.

"Alright…" his voice was merely a dried-up whisper, "If that's the way things are, then I'll be waiting down here…" he told her, knowing that he had no right to go into Brooke's room if she was indeed so stressed out by his presence, but unable to leave before he would see that she was doing alright. It pained him to no extent that he had come to make his dear friend so uneasy, but he understood that he needed to respect her feelings and give her some time.

Haley gave Lucas one last angry gaze before quietly heading up the stairs over to the one place in which Lucas most wanted to be, but knew he couldn't. He sadly watched his oldest friend as she ascended the stairs and felt his heart drop to the floor as his younger brother put a supporting hand on his shoulder.

"She'll come around, Lucas. Both of them will…" Nathan comforted, referring to the two women who were currently present in the top floor of the house. Lucas absentmindedly nodded, having heard his brother's words only in part. Truth be told, at that moment, Lucas wasn't worried about whether Brooke or Haley would forgive him, as only one prayer filled his soul- for Brooke to be able to open her eyes and truly be alright again…

* * *

**AN: I know... I know... I'm sorry that this chapter was slow and depressing, but I promise that next time, you will finally get an actual conversation between Brooke and Lucas! I hope that you managed to enjoy this despite the excruciating pace and I would be glad if you let me know if this was any good, despite the pace...**

**For those of you who are truly growing impatient with me- I promise that there will be some major drama in a few chapters... ;-)**


	18. Chapter 18

**I know it's been forever since I last updated and since you had to wait so long, this chapter is extra-long and includes the Brucas conersation I promised you. I'm sorry that I haven't written back to everyone who has reviewed- as always, I truly appreciate your support, I just had a crazy two weeks... As of next week and until the end of Febuary I'm entering a really hectic period, so I don't know how often I will be able to update during this upcoming month, but I will definitely go back to updating full speed once we get to March... As always- your reviews will definitely encourage me to update sooner! ;-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 18**

Lucas' blue eyes had become dull and washed over as he kept staring into space tiredly and let his worries get the better of him. He was so consumed with concern that he barely acknowledged Nathan, who had been sitting by his side for the entire time, with the exception of five minutes, during which he had gone to check on Jamie and had gladly found out that his son was sleeping as heavily as a log of wood. Nathan had tried to encourage his brother, but when Lucas barely responded to him and seemed to be in a world of his own, Nathan just turned the television on and kept sitting by his brother quietly, simply wanting Lucas to know that he was there if he needed anything.

As the front door suddenly opened and closed in an abrupt movement, Lucas was finally snapped out of his thoughts and lifted his eyes to see who had entered the house. When he was met with Rachel's fiery gaze, Lucas involuntarily cringed, knowing first-hand what she was capable of when she was mad.

"What the hell, Nathan?" Rachel angrily asked as she marched into the living room, towards the two brothers.

"Calm down, Rachel" Nathan rose to his feet and grabbed onto her shoulders, wanting to keep her away from Lucas. However, when he saw how her eyes were red and swollen and understood that she had been crying, Nathan immediately loosened his grip on her and softened up. He knew that it had been an emotionally draining day for all of them, and realized that he couldn't be harsh towards her, because Rachel was simply upset.

"Let go!" Rachel demanded as she struggled against him, yet Nathan kept on holding her with just enough strength to prevent her from going anywhere.

"Rachel, stop" Nathan instructed her quietly and slightly shook her in an attempt to put an end to her hysterics, yet Rachel was far too emotional to be able to stop and think about her actions rationally.

"We finally brought Brooke back home, and you instantly invite the one person who she'll probably run away from?! What the hell, Nathan?!" Rachel angrily exclaimed, letting out every single ounce of emotion she had suppressed while she had tried to stay composed and focused when she had been looking for Brooke.

"First of all, Rachel, we didn't find Brooke, Lucas did…" Nathan calmly, yet seriously explained to her, causing Rachel's expression to instantly change, "And second- if it wasn't for him, things would have ended pretty badly tonight, so he has every right to be here" he told her quietly, looking at her with sincerity and keeping in mind that Rachel's emotions were the ones speaking out of her mouth. He made sure not to raise his voice at her, yet hoped that the information he had just shared with her would be enough to put an end to Rachel's outburst.

Nathan didn't really have a chance to see whether his words had any influence on Rachel, though, as seconds after he had finished speaking, they could all hear quick tapping of feet from the upper floor, followed by a door slamming shut. The confused expressions that they all wore were immediately replaced with alarmed and widened eyes, as they could all distinctly hear Brooke starting to cough from behind the door that had just been closed.

"Stay here" Nathan instructed Lucas, who started to rush up the stairs after him and Rachel. Even though Lucas wanted to go against his brother's words, he knew that it would be best to listen to him and therefore stayed behind. He truly couldn't risk stressing Brooke out when she obviously wasn't feeling well. Much to his surprise, he was left alone merely for moments, as Nathan quickly joined him back downstairs.

"They kicked you out too?" Lucas asked his brother with confusion, unable to understand why Nathan was back with him if he could be with Brooke, when he could clearly hear her continuing to cough unhealthily from upstairs.

"She's just sick… What she needs right now is privacy and peace and not a crowd…" Nathan explained, grimacing at the sound of Brooke losing the contents of her stomach.

Lucas closed his eyes and buried his head in his hands as Nathan's words and the sounds of Brooke coughing and throwing up filled his head. He wanted to tell Nathan that privacy was not what Brooke needed. He wanted to tell him that Brooke needed someone to rub her back and soothe her with softly spoken words. He wanted to tell Nathan that Brooke needed someone to gently hold her hair back and support her frail frame as it violently shook from her unhealthy coughs. He wanted to tell Nathan that Brooke needed someone to carefully pick her up, wash her face and stroke delicate circles on her back until she would fall asleep, but he couldn't. Lucas knew that it wasn't his place to do any of those things now and wasn't even sure whether they would still be able to soothe her after all that time. However, he remembered a time when they did, a time when he had preformed all those actions and had somehow succeeded in making things better for the broken brunette that was currently emptying her body from all the poisons that had resided in it.

Lucas flashed back to that day back in senior year, when he had found her crying hysterically on Peyton's bathroom floor several days after being attacked by Ian Banks. He remembered witnessing Brooke trying to keep her sobs down to strangled air-intakes, until she could no longer take it and began heaving into the toilet. Back then, when he had still known her body and soul so well, it had been a matter of instinct for him to do all the right things that could help her settle down and recover, but now he wasn't even sure if he would be able to truly make things better for Brooke, even if he would follow his urge to barge into the bathroom and be by her side.

"How much did that idiot of a bartender give her to drink?!" Nathan angrily muttered after several moments, when Brooke's coughs had yet to stop, slightly pulling Lucas out of his thoughts.

Lucas knew that his brother was right to worry, as Brooke was obviously losing too much liquid for her own good. Knowing that he couldn't directly be of help, though, as he was forbidden to approach Brooke, Lucas instinctively instructed, "You should get Brooke some water so that she won't dehydrate… It's starting to get pretty disturbing and I don't want us to end up having to take her to the hospital tonight…" he said, his concern for Brooke evident in every word that had come out of his mouth.

Nathan glanced over at his brother, who continued sitting next to him with defeat, and was impressed by his care for Brooke once again. It was extremely clear to him that Lucas was beating himself up for his inability to aid Brooke, and Nathan had to respect him all the more for his capability to sit put in the living room and keep away from the second story, despite his evident concern for Brooke, just because he wanted to do what was best for her.

Just as he stood up and headed to the kitchen in order to follow his brother's request, Nathan could suddenly sense Lucas rising up to his own feet and rushing into the kitchen as well.

"Maybe it would actually be better to make her some tea…" Lucas contemplated with himself as he went through Nathan and Haley's kitchen cabinets, searching for tea bags. Nathan silently filled up the kettle with water and allowed the water to heat up as he watched Lucas browsing through the different brands of tea that he had until he seemed to find one that Brooke liked.

Nathan wordlessly handed Lucas a cup and observed him as he carefully measured the desired amount of sugar that he scooped in the teaspoon before he dumped it into the cup. After Lucas poured the boiling water into the cup and pulled out the teabag after dipping it in the water several times, Nathan was ready to take the tea up to Brooke. He started heading out of the kitchen with the cup in his hand when his brother's voice caused him to stop in his place.

"Hold on…" Lucas asked as he came up to him with something in his hand. Nathan looked at him questioningly, his frown easing away as he watched Lucas placing an ice-cube inside the steamy drink.

"She hates burning her tongue…" Lucas felt the need to explain almost apologetically as Nathan looked at him with an unreadable expression.

In response, Nathan offered a small, understanding smile and simply walked upstairs with the meticulously prepared drink. He didn't know if the tea that he held in his hand could help the poor brunette, whose body was still emptying itself from anything that had been in her system, but he knew one thing for sure- his brother cared a whole lot about her, maybe even more than he was admitting to himself, maybe even more than he had admitted to the whole world in his critically-acclaimed literary work of art…

Lucas' beautifully painted, yet rational and conscious choice of words might have been forwarded towards a different girl, but his natural, instinctive actions, which were directed towards Brooke, spoke an entirely different language, the one of Lucas' true and inner soul, and proved to Nathan who genuinely resided in his brother's heart…

* * *

"Brooke… Sweetie, you have to try to calm down…" Haley worriedly pleaded with Brooke as she stroked up and down her back. After several minutes during which Brooke didn't seem to be able to stop throwing up and had begun crying harder and harder, Haley was becoming truly concerned about her friend's wellbeing. She noticed how Brooke's condition seemed to be worsening the more upset she became, and realized that she needed to get Brooke to relax in order for her to be able to stop heaving into the toilet.

"This isn't working…" Rachel pointed out to Haley as she paced back and forth in the tiny bathroom. She admired Haley's attempt to help Brooke on her own, but could tell that Brooke needed someone else's assistance, as nothing that either one of them did seemed to improve Brooke's condition. Rachel's worried gaze met the concerned look in Haley's eyes and they simultaneously realized what needed to be done.

"Brooke… I'm afraid we'll have to take you to the hospital, honey…" Haley apologetically told Brooke. She knew that her friend had spent more than her fair share of time in hospitals lately, but grew more and more convinced that Brooke needed medical care once again.

"No! I can't…" Brooke mumbled with objection through suppressed sobs, "If Victoria finds out about this-"

"To hell with Victoria, Brooke! Your health is much more important!" Rachel cut into her speech and argued.

"No…" Brooke shook her head, stifling the cries that were choking her throat, "I'm not going back there… I can't-" she failed to complete her sentence as more poisoned liquids flooded up her body and forced her to lean over the toilet again in order to rid herself of them.

"I'm sorry, Brooke, but I don't think we have a choice…" Haley gently said to her as she eyed her worriedly, putting her hand on Brooke's back for support.

"I can't…" Brooke panted as the tears streamed down her face. She barely managed to stabilize her body and voice, but she couldn't help but express her protest, "The press already knows about… They know and I can't… I can't deal with…" Brooke was incapable of completing even one sentence, but had managed to make it clear to both Rachel and Haley that they needed to stop talking about the hospital, as the subject was stressing Brooke out even more.

"Shh… It's O.K., Brooke, calm down" Rachel kneeled down next to her as well and put her hand on Brooke's shoulder.

"I can't…" Brooke once again tried to explain, but Rachel quickly cut her off.

"It's O.K…. Just try to calm down, Brooke…" Rachel soothingly said to her as she started stroking up and down Brooke's back together with Haley. "Shh… It's alright…" she tried to comfort Brooke, who was panting heavily due to the exerting process of cleansing her body.

After what seemed to be a lifetime, Brooke's body finally sagged as it was emptied of all the liquor she had consumed. She exhaustedly slumped over the toilet as she attempted to even out her shaky, sharp breaths and couldn't stop the tears from falling down her face. She felt so messed up, so tired and clouded with so many emotions that the only thing she could possibly do was to powerlessly whimper.

"Hey… Don't cry, sweetie…" Brooke could hear the heart-break in Haley's voice, which only caused her stream of tears to flow more rapidly. "It's gonna be fine, honey… Come here…" Haley comfortingly said to Brooke as she helped her to her feet and walked her over to the sink, so she could wash her face. Rachel quickly flushed the toilet and then came over to Brooke's other side, seeing the need to help her drained friend stabilize.

Held securely between her two dear friends, Brooke could feel the shame washing over her. She knew that she would fall from her frail feet if they would let go of her and realized that she was too exhausted to take care of herself on her own, but was truly ashamed that she needed Rachel and Haley to help her as though she was a child. She was so used to being independent, that now that she had no choice but to lean on her friends due to her poor physical and emotional state, she felt worthless and truly awful with herself.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" Haley couldn't help but ask as she brushed Brooke's tears away from her cheeks and looked at her face with care and concern.

Brooke just shook her head and sniffled, biting her lower lip in order to gain control over herself. She was crying for so many reasons that she couldn't possibly reply to Haley's question. As Haley continued stroking her back calmingly while waiting for her to respond, Brooke could feel her legs and whole body starting to grow heavy and weak. She felt so exhausted all of a sudden, that she couldn't even open her mouth to ask Rachel and Haley to help her sit down.

When Brooke's knees suddenly gave out from under her, Haley's questioning gaze was immediately replaced with an alarmed, worried one. She quickly caught Brooke's body, with Rachel's help, and carefully pulled her back up.

"Are you alright, Brooke?" Rachel looked down at her friend and asked, holding onto her tightly in order to prevent her from falling.

"I'm just dizzy…" was all Brooke could tearfully mumble in response as she grew lightheaded.

As Rachel and Haley tried to help Brooke walk over to the bed, Nathan came into the room, holding the cup of tea that Lucas had prepared for Brooke. When he saw the state that Brooke was in, his eyes widened. He placed the mug on the bedside table and immediately rushed over to take Brooke from Rachel and Haley's hands.

Brooke involuntarily whimpered due to how her head seemed to spin as Nathan lifted her in his arms and carried her over to the bed. As he lay her down and examined her with his eyes, Nathan realized how pale and worn out she looked. He quickly brought the cup of tea over to her and helped her drink as Haley and Rachel watched them nervously, both knowing that if Nathan would fail to help Brooke, they would be forced to bring Brooke to a hospital, despite her wishes.

As he kept the cup tilted up to Brooke's mouth, Nathan could also only hope that his small attempt to help his friend recover would turn out to be successful. Much to everyone's relief, Brooke indeed seemed to be revived thanks to the sugary drink, which refilled her body with much needed liquids and nutrition.

"Are you alright?" Nathan felt the need to ask after several minutes, even though he saw how the color was returning to Brooke's face. He gently wiped away the few wet trails that were still glistering over Brooke's skin as he awaited her reply, unable to stand seeing the evidence of her tears and pain.

Brooke nodded and whispered out a weak "thank you" to Nathan, receiving a smile from him in response. After she took yet another sip of the warm drink, now feeling strong enough to hold the cup on her own, she suddenly looked up at Nathan with surprise and questioned, "How did you know just how I like it?" referring to the drink that had been prepared to her exact taste.

"Well…" Nathan uncomfortably looked away from Brooke, fearing that his response was about to upset her, "I didn't… Lucas actually made this for you…" he awkwardly said.

"Wh… What? He's here?" Brooke asked with surprise.

"Yeah… Well… He brought you home and he was kind of worried about you, so I thought that it would be alright for him to stick around…" suddenly his idea to allow his brother to stay didn't seem so smart when he had to explain it directly to Brooke's face.

As Brooke remained speechless, sitting frozen in her place and Rachel angrily glared at him, Nathan felt truly awful with himself for initiating a move that stressed out his shaky friend. He guiltily looked at Brooke, not knowing what to say, when Rachel finally cut the silence that had spread in the room.

"Don't worry, Brooke. I'll go and kick him out right now…" Rachel promised. She started walking towards the exit of the room when Brooke's voice stopped her determined stride.

"No, Rache- don't…" Brooke finally lifted her eyes and looked at Rachel, the sincerity of her gaze showing Rachel that she meant what she had said. When Rachel looked at her questioningly, wondering why she had stopped her, Brooke added, "I just… What do you mean he brought me home?" she questioned, averting her confused gaze over to Nathan.

"He found you at Tric and brought you back here, Brooke" Nathan quietly informed Brooke, now realizing that in the drunken state she had been when she was brought back to his house, she truly couldn't have noticed who had been the one to carry her home.

"I don't…" Brooke confusedly began saying, yet Nathan quickly cut her off, not wanting her to be frustrated about that night's pieces of her memory that were missing.

"You were pretty much out of it, Brooke…" he gently told her, not wanting her to burden her memory in vain.

The room fell silent once again as Brooke processed what Nathan had told her and inwardly scolded herself for her irresponsible behavior. She couldn't believe that she had once again stupidly put herself at risk. When several moments had passed and Brooke had yet to say a word, Nathan's discomfort was starting to be replaced with concern.

"Brooke?" he gently put his hand on Brooke's shoulder, finally causing her to look up at him. When he saw the mixture of emotions in her eyes, all he could do was offer, "Why don't you lie down and rest? It's been a long day…"

"I want to talk to him" Brooke surprised Nathan by saying.

"Are you sure?" Rachel hesitantly asked, not wanting to see her friend upset, "You don't have to, you know…" she made sure to inform Brooke.

"I know, Rache, it's fine…" Brooke softly replied, looking at Rachel with sincere eyes in order to show her that her request was indeed her genuine desire.

"O.K…." Rachel shrugged and sighed with displeasure. If it would have been up to her, Lucas wouldn't have gotten anywhere near Brooke, but since Brooke truly wanted to speak to him, Rachel knew that she couldn't stop her. Slightly shaking her head with disapproval, Rachel stepped out of the room and walked downstairs, where she found Lucas edgily sitting on the couch.

"Hey Lucas!" Rachel called out to him, gaining his attention immediately, "It's your lucky day…" Rachel announced, "Get up there" she told him, gesturing upstairs and instantly causing Lucas to tense up with concern.

"What happened? Is Brooke O.K.?" he worriedly asked as his body stiffened with anxiety, causing Rachel to snicker.

"Apparently not…" she replied sarcastically, laughing slightly at the alarmed expression that Lucas' face wore due to his failure to detect her cynicism, "She asked to talk to you" Rachel clarified with a mischievous smile, watching his concern ease away in an instant.

"That wasn't funny…" Lucas sincerely informed Rachel as he rose to his feet and brushed past her on his way up to Brooke. Considering the condition in which he had first found Brooke, he most certainly couldn't speak of the matter lightheartedly at the moment.

When Rachel detected the genuine and deep concern that Lucas had expressed, her smirk disappeared. "I would have never said anything like that if there was something truly wrong with her" she honestly told Lucas, who turned to look at her after she spoke. The emotions that were reflected clearly in his eyes caused Rachel's gaze to soften.

"Go on, Lucas… Brooke needs her rest, so don't keep her waiting" she said to him, her voice no longer harsh and hostile. She finally realized that Lucas had Brooke's best interest in heart after all, and even though she was still angered by the emotional damage Lucas had caused Brooke, she was ready to call a truce at last.

As she watched Lucas climbing up the stairs, though, she couldn't help herself and called after him, "Just so you'll know- if you make her cry, I'll make you want to die…"

* * *

When Lucas first reached the entrance of the guestroom, he paused and looked at Brooke, who was sitting in bed on her own, oblivious to his presence at that moment. His eyes caressed Brooke's fragile, tired body with his gaze, starting with her blanket-covered legs and going up her form until he was met with Brooke's striking hazel eyes, which were now looking straight at him.

"Hi…" Lucas softly said as he stepped into the room and approached Brooke, his orbs not leaving hers even for a moment.

"Hey…" Brooke quietly replied, her eyes seemingly magnetized to Lucas' mesmerizing gaze.

"How do you feel?" Lucas caringly asked as he took a seat by Brooke's bed, the excess amount of emotion projected by his voice and bright orbs causing Brooke to look away and to simply shrug in response. She felt as though Lucas' evident care was emptying her body of its oxygen, as she suddenly realized how much she secretly longed for his care, yet at the same time- how hurt she had gotten the previous time she sought Lucas' help.

"Hey…" Lucas, who could sense Brooke's sudden discomfort, reached out and gently placed his hand over Brooke's, causing her to flinch due to the unexpected physical contact.

"Lucas…" she uncomfortably said as she drew her hand away from Lucas' touch, slightly scooting away from him. At the moment that he had touched her, she didn't only feel the inner panic that, ever since the attack, would rise up and fill her body every time someone would make physical contact with her without preparing her in advance, but she also felt her heart skipping a beat as it always would when Lucas' skin would collide with hers, and that scared her even more.

Lucas stared at Brooke in shock for a moment, but quickly came to his senses and straightened himself up, "Fine… I'm sorry…" he apologized, "You wanted to talk to me?" he tried to mask his hurt and confusion by asking.

"Nathan told me that you helped me tonight, so I guess I just wanted to say thank you…" Brooke quietly said, lifting her eyes up to Lucas and almost immediately looking away, as she felt Lucas' intense gaze creating a hole in the barricades she had built around her heart, through which her inner emotions were starting to seep. Brooke could feel herself starting to expose her vulnerability to Lucas and, reminding herself that she couldn't trust him with her heart, kept her eyes away from his and crossed her arms over her chest protectively.

"You don't need to thank me, it's O.K…." Lucas gently told Brooke, frowning as he studied her defensive body language. "Hey… What's wrong?" he questioned with great concern.

"Nothing… I'm fine" Brooke replied, keeping her eyes buried in her lap. She knew that if she would look at Lucas at that moment, she would lose the little hold she still had over herself, as she could already start feeling the tears welling up in her eyes.

"Brooke, listen to me, I know that you feel hurt by the fact that I flew away right after you gave Angie away and didn't answer your calls, but you have to understand that I made a mistake by leaving Tree Hill and that I did want to see how you were doing. You have to believe me when I tell you that I never knew you called me. If I did I would have come home right away" he sincerely said, the honesty in his voice causing Brooke to let go and allow the tears she was holding back roll down her cheeks.

"Why are you doing this, Lucas?" she finally looked up at him and asked as there was no use to try hiding her pain from him anymore.

"Doing what, Brooke?" Lucas asked seriously, feeling his heart twitch as he watched the drops of sadness flow down Brooke's face. When she simply sniffled and continued crying, Lucas could no longer control himself and sent his hand towards Brooke's face, gently brushing the tears away.

"Come on… Please don't cry, pretty girl…" he begged, his words only causing Brooke's stream of tears to worsen.

"You can't call me that when you're flying to Vegas with Peyton, Lucas!" Brooke exclaimed with hurt, drawing away from his touch and finally causing Lucas to partially understand what was going on in her head.

"Peyton and I aren't together, Brooke" he stated factually, not wanting Brooke to be mistaken, "That whole trip was a mistake!" he tried to make her understand, but the intensity of the conversation was becoming too much for Brooke.

"I can't do this, Lucas…" she weakly told him, trying to rise to her feet and get away from him, only to be stopped by Lucas' firm grip on her hand.

"Come on, Brooke- all I want to do is to talk to you…" he softened up and pleaded, his heartfelt tone causing Brooke to stop and listen to him, "I don't know what happened to you when I was away, because nobody seems to be willing to tell me, but I can tell that something is wrong and I want you to know that I'm here for you if you want to talk about it…"

"Yeah, because that worked out so well for me when I tried calling you while you were away…" Brooke mumbled through her tears and sniffles, yet Lucas heard what she had said.

"I swear to you that I never knew you called, Brooke" Lucas was so insistent and sounded so honest that Brooke had to raise her gaze and look at him with her swollen, wet eyes. She once again got caught in the thick web of emotions that Lucas' eyes held, feeling her tears starting to slow down as she realized how truthful his words sounded.

"O.K…." she quietly said, confirming to him that she believed him.

"Peyton had my phone and she told me that you never called" he elaborated, wanting to make sure that Brooke would trust his words yet only causing her tears to resurface as she realized who she truly needed to blame for the way her calls had been neglected. She had been relieved to hear Lucas tell her that he wasn't ignoring her like she thought he had, but recognizing the fact that her best friend did indeed turn her back on her hurt like hell.

"Hey… I didn't mean to upset you…" Lucas apologetically said as he saw the effect his words had on Brooke. He sadly sat there, watching Brooke silently crying before him without being able to do a thing and could almost physically feel his heart breaking for her. After several moments, when it had become too much for him to sit back and do nothing, Lucas carefully approached Brooke, unable to stand behind the line she had created between them anymore.

"Come here…" he gently said, pulling her trembling form into his secure embrace and Brooke, who was simply too tired to resist, just fell against his chest and allowed him to rock her back and forth soothingly.

"I'm so sorry, Brooke…" he softly whispered into her ear as his hands stroked up and down her back, helping her settle down. It felt so natural to him to hold her in his arms like that, that Lucas suddenly couldn't believe that he had just recently thought that a different girl could fit in his arms more perfectly than Brooke, who was the only one that he now wanted to hold.

With the assistance of his calming actions, Brooke slowly and gradually managed to stop crying. Feeling too tired to move, she remained leaning against Lucas strong, warm form, relishing in the feeling of the safety she was suddenly filled with as she was pressed to Lucas' familiar body.

When Lucas finally looked down at her face, wanting to see if she had fallen asleep, his gaze was once again met with Brooke's emotion-filled eyes and all he could do was stare at her for several moments and try to read her through those hazel orbs, as he had done so many times in the past. When all he could see in her gaze was exhaustion, Lucas realized that even though it was the last thing he wanted to do, he had to let go of Brooke and allow her to rest.

"There's so much I have to say to you, but I think I'd better let you go to sleep now…" Lucas gently said to the fragile girl in his arms, trying to savor the last moments in which he could still hold her in his arms, "Can I come and see you tomorrow?" he hopefully asked, looking at her so wishfully that Brooke automatically nodded.

Lucas gave her a big, genuine smile and then carefully lay her back down in bed, once again adjusting the covers around her tired body. He started walking out of the room, yet as he reached the door, he turned around to Brooke.

"Hey…" he softly said to her, causing Brooke to turn her gaze over to him, "I never meant to hurt you, Brooke…" he said, sounding truly heartbroken that he had unintentionally done so.

Brooke simply nodded, accepting his apology, yet once he had left the room, she allowed a sole tear to escape her eyes.

"It still hurts all the same…" she whispered into the darkness and curled up into the blankets, needing to feel the fake feeling of someone wrapped around her, protecting her from any harm. She was still nursing her emotional wounds, and even though she now knew that Lucas did care about her feelings, she couldn't help but question herself whether she was doing the right thing as she had yet to heal, as she still possessed a bruised, bleeding heart…

* * *

**AN: Well, that it for this time... I hope you enjoyed the Brucas and everything else! Thanks to everyone who's been reading and especially for all of you who are taking the time to share your thoughts with me. They certainly push me to update every time! **

**You can look forward to Brucas getting closer to one another in future chapters and to Brooke confronting more issues and peoples she needs to face... ;-)**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hey guys! I feel really awful for not replying to your reviews, but I have my exams this month, so I barely have time to breathe... Just know that your reviews were truly what pushed me into writing this chapter this month at all, so I truly love all of you guys! I hope that you'll enjoy this chapter! ;-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 19**

"Good Morning, Davis!" Nathan greeted Brooke energetically, grinning as he watched her squinting her eyes and groaning after he had opened the shutters and had let the light in.

"Come on… It's time to wake up, Brooke!" Nathan told Brooke in response to her non-coherent grumbles.

"What time is it?" Brooke murmured into her pillow, still keeping her eyes shut tightly.

"It's 10 AM, Brooke, and you have a doctor's appointment in 45 minutes to get rid of those stitches and for a checkup on your hand…" Nathan informed Brooke, chuckling as she buried her face into the pillow and sighed.

"How's your head?" he questioned her in a more serious tone as he saw her cringing and raising her hand to rub her temple upon attempting to sit up.

"I feel like someone is pounding it with a hammer…" Brooke truthfully complained with a wince, causing Nathan to smile at her compassionately.

"That's what usually happens the morning after you drink more than you can remember…" he reminded her, causing Brooke to frown. Not wanting Brooke to think that he was trying to lecture her, he quickly added, "Trust me- it happened to me enough times that I would know by now…"

Brooke simply smiled at Nathan with understanding and gratitude for his care, and then let her eyes slip away from his as she thought about what she could remember from the previous night. She felt as though her dependence on her friends was causing her to behave irresponsibly, as a child would, and decided that she needed to rediscover her independence quickly, so that she could count on herself once again.

"Come on, Brooke- let's get you ready for your appointment" Nathan cut into her thoughts, offering her a helping hand. Brooke stared at Nathan's outstretched arm for several moments, acknowledging just how much of her personal strength she had been lending from her friends since the traumatic experience she had been through, acknowledging just how much of her own strength she was in need of reviving now.

"It's fine, Nate… I'm sober now…" she said to him quietly, yet with such distinct determination, that Nathan could immediately tell that she was not only talking about the drunken state she had suffered from, but also about the physical and emotional rollercoaster she had been strapped to ever since the attack.

Nathan simply nodded, understanding that Brooke was working at getting back to herself. He turned and started walking out of the room, wanting to give Brooke the space that she had implied to be seeking, yet Brooke's voice quickly stopped him.

"Hey Nate…" she called, immediately causing Nathan to turn around and look at her questioningly, "You do know that the support that you guys have been giving me means the world to me, right?" Brooke looked at him straight in the eye and questioned.

"It's really nothing, Brooke. Why are you…" Nathan tried to casually brush off her serious tone, yet Brooke responded before he could even complete his sentence.

"I think that it will be time for me to go back home tomorrow…" she said, causing Nathan to frown with surprise and disapproval.

"What are you talking about, Brooke? You're our family- you don't have to go anywhere!" he argued, not wanting Brooke to be away from the safety of his home.

"Nate- I love you and Hales for everything you've been doing for me, but I need to get back to my home and start standing up on my own two feet" she tried to explain, yet Nathan thought differently.

"No- you need to stay _off_ your feet for a while, until you're all healed and rested up!" he insisted, his care warming Brooke's heart up, but not changing her mind.

"I'm fine, Nate…" Brooke said, smiling slightly in an attempt to assure Nathan that she'll be alright. When he still seemed unpleased, she added, "Rachel will be with me, so you have nothing to worry about…" she ascertained, trying to convince Nathan that she wouldn't even be alone in her house.

"Why are you so insistent on leaving?" Nathan asked, bothered to see that Brooke's desire to leave his house was so strong. He stared at her with questioning, almost hurt eyes, and could vividly see how her reassuring smile was dissolving into a glazed, emotion-filled expression, as she thought about the biggest reason she felt the need to regain her strength and self-support.

"It's Jamie…" she finally revealed in a quiet, honest tone, "Nathan- your son has already been through so much, that I can't keep letting him see me messing up…" Brooke told him, her eyes slipping to her lap in shame, "I just keep thinking about how he would have felt if he would have seen me last night, and I already feel like I've failed him as his godmother… I want to be able to protect him from the bad things in life and I just…" Brooke paused, needing to take a deep breath before she could continue speaking. Nathan, who saw her struggle with her rising emotions, quickly took a seat by the bed and took Brooke's healthy hand in his, squeezing it gently for support.

"I just need to heal on my own for a bit before I can do that again…" Brooke completed her speech, taking yet another deep breath in order to push down the tears that were choking her throat as she thought of how her behavior since the attack must have been affecting the small boy she loved so dearly.

"Our home will always be open to you, Brooke" Nathan honestly told her as he kept Brooke's palm in one hand, and used the other to cup Brooke's shoulder.

"I won't pressure you if this is what you need to do, but just know that we're here to help anytime, and that you are always welcome to come back" he soothingly continued, observing how hard it was for Brooke to speak about her vulnerability and wanting to help her calm down.

"Thanks, Nate" Brooke softly expressed her honest gratitude, forcing a smile in order to rid herself of the tears that were still pricking in her eyes. Nathan gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze, wanting to show her that he was there, and returned her tight smile with a reassuring grin of his own.

"You're gonna be fine, Brooke…" he promised her with such confidence, that Brooke immediately believed him. She nodded, suddenly feeling stronger than before and, in an attempt to mask her emotions and lighten up the mood, surprised Nathan by suddenly giving him a somewhat forced, yet existent and playful smirk.

"And if I won't- will you come and save me, hot shot?" Brooke teasingly asked, causing Nathan to chuckle.

"Sure, Davis… But only if you'll make me a proper 'superhero cape'" Nathan joked, causing Brooke to giggle softly. The sight of her lovely dimples showing on her cheeks immediately caused Nathan to smile delightedly. Those two dents, the ultimate indication that his friend was happy, hadn't graced Brooke's face since that horrible day in which he had found her beaten-up and bleeding on her store's floor, so finally being able to see that she was genuinely smiling truly warmed Nathan's heart up.

"I'm also willing to provide my infamous cleaning skills at your store's service…" Nathan attempted at another joke, but quickly realized his mistake as Brooke's face fell and slightly paled upon the memory of the night her store had been trashed. Wanting nothing but to make her smile again and forget about the horrible incident, Nathan immediately added, "I will even model the fabulous clothes I know you will start designing again in no time…" he told her, waiting for her grin to reappear.

When Brooke failed to smile but seemed to be actually considering what Nathan had said, Nathan suddenly regretted having made that last promise. "Brooke?" he looked at her questioningly, hoping that her thoughts had been provoked by anything else than having him dress in her women's fashion line items.

"Oh my god… Nathan- you're a genius!" much to his dismay, his fears were confirmed as Brooke looked up at him excitedly.

"Brooke… You do know that I was kidding, right?" he gently and quite nervously asked her, hating to ruin the good mood she was finally filled with, but hating even more to think of himself wearing the same clothes that his wife would wear.

"I don't think so, hot shot… I'm gonna hold you to this promise!" Brooke informed him cheerfully, gingerly rising to her feet and walking over to the guestroom closet, to grab herself a change of clothes.

"You're seriously gonna make me wear women's clothes, Brooke?" Nathan asked with displeasure, watching her closely as she carefully crossed the room, trying not to strain the slightly sore parts of her body. He knew that after everything she had been through, he would perform this ridiculous action, if that was truly what would make Brooke happy, but genuinely hoped that Brooke had a different plan in mind.

"You'll see…" Brooke winked at him and disappeared into the bathroom, leaving Nathan alone in the guestroom.

"Oh boy…" he mumbled, regretting having stupidly opened his big mouth up…

* * *

"Hey, guys?" Brooke's soft voice broke the silence that had filled the car she, Rachel and Nathan were riding back from the doctor's office. She seemed to have truly changed for the better ever since that morning, and having the doctor take off her stitches and tell her that her hand was almost completely healed indicated that she was also becoming stronger physically. However, from the moment she had entered the car on the way back home, Brooke seemed to have been whisked away to a world of her own, consisting of private thoughts she was busy thinking. Both Nathan and Rachel had shot her inspective glances, yet for a change, they were glad to see that she actually had a vague hint of a smile on her face.

"What is it, Brooke?" Rachel immediately questioned, hoping that Brooke was finally going to tell them what was occupying her mind.

"Would you mind if we drove back through downtown Tree Hill?" Brooke politely questioned, immediately causing Rachel and Nathan to exchange worried glances.

"Why do you want to go there, Brooke?" Nathan gently asked her, hoping that she was going to give him a different answer than the one he had in mind.

"I need to go to my store… It's time" Brooke simply said in a quiet tone, confirming Nathan and Rachel's suspicions. She knew that they might not understand, but she felt like she needed to finally find her inner courage and deal with everything she had been avoiding since the attack. The previous night's events convinced her that she needed to get it together instantly if she didn't want to live a life that would be always ruled and directed by fear.

"Brooke, I don't know what to say…" Nathan uneasily said, his eyes filled with true discomfort, "Are you sure you're ready for this?" he seriously asked her, taking his eyes off the road for a moment in order to glance at her, as he wanted to see her honest response.

"You guys can't protect me from the world forever, Nate" Brooke replied, providing Nathan with the sincere response his eyes were searching for, yet failing to convince him that she had healed enough from her emotional wounds in order to reenter the place where she had received those injuries in the first place. Knowing that he needed to look her in the eye before he could decide what would be the right thing to do, Nathan quickly pulled over and stepped out of the driver's seat, sliding into the back seat by Brooke's side.

"Brooke… You are one of the bravest, most independent people I have come across. I know that the world doesn't stand a chance against you, but that doesn't mean I'm not gonna look after you" Nathan gently told her, watching her eyes soften and become glazed over as she was touched by his care. He quickly grabbed her hand and squeezed it for support and then carefully continued, "I don't want you to be offended by this, but I think that it would be better to wait a while…" he kindly suggested, not wanting to upset his friend and only keeping her best interest in mind, "Maybe start by getting settled back at home, then try to go out to some other public places you'll feel safer in, and maybe then…" Nathan tried to guide her in what he believed was a healthier path, yet Brooke immediately shook her head in response.

"I'm done hiding…" Brooke softly, yet determinedly declared, "I need to go back to my store…" she said, looking up at Nathan with those big, hazel eyes of hers, to which no one other than her mother could ever say no to…

* * *

"Brooke?" Rachel gently tried to get her friend's attention as she and Nathan followed her from Nathan's parked car to her closed, deserted store. "Brooke!" Rachel spoke a little louder and slightly nudged Brooke's side as her friend failed to respond to her previous call, now causing Brooke to slightly jump in surprise.

"What?" she replied somewhat breathlessly and whirled to look at Rachel with startled eyes.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, sweetie?" she carefully questioned, eyeing her friend with concern. Brooke simply stared back, fighting the urge to flee through the escape route that Rachel had just given her in order to prove to herself that she could handle something as simple as walking into a store that she owned. She knew that she would need to do this sooner or later, and simply couldn't understand why reentering _Clothes over Bros'_ seemed like such a good idea that morning, when Nathan had unintentionally motivated her to start sketching some designs, when now the mere sight of her boutique was causing her body to tremble involuntarily.

"I'm f-fine…" Brooke stuttered, forcefully trying to rid herself of the fear that was starting to spread through her body once again as her mind flashed back to the ruthless blows she had received on the floor of the building she was currently standing only steps away from.

"Come on, babe- let's pick this up some other time" Rachel gently suggested as she observed how Brooke's body had begun to slightly shake, "The doctor wanted you to get some rest anyway…" she added, trying to lessen the feeling of defeat she knew Brooke would feel upon admitting that she wasn't ready for this yet.

Brooke didn't reply. Feeling like a complete failure, she pursed her lips together and tried to control all of the extreme emotions that were whirling in her head. She hated feeling this vulnerable and the distinct realization that despite the optimism that she had felt at that morning, she still couldn't get by without her friends, made Brooke truly ashamed of herself.

"Hey…" as tears of embarrassment, sadness, fear and frustration pricked in her eyes, Brooke felt Nathan's hands gently grabbing onto her shoulder, "It's alright, Brooke" he soothingly told her, rubbing up and down her tense arms in order to comfort her and give her a sense of stability, "Everything's O.K…." he repeating, trying to get through to her.

When a single tear managed to escape one of Brooke's eyes, Nathan had had enough of seeing his friend suffer. Wrapping an arm around the small, trembling brunette, he tried to guide her back to his car. "Let's go home, Brooke" he quietly suggested, bringing her body closer to his and looking down at her in confusion as she suddenly drew away from his grip.

"No…" Brooke suddenly spoke, her voice raspy and shaky, yet filled with determination. Before either Nathan or Rachel could even respond, she suddenly turned back to the store and started walking towards it as fast as she could. She knew that she needed to do this, and that she needed to do this quickly, before her fears would get the better of her again.

"Brooke! Brooke!!" Nathan and Rachel were immediately after her, both feeling like they had to get hold of their friend before she would damage herself emotionally even more. "Brooke, slow down!" Nathan frustratedly called after her, in an attempt to get her to stop walking, as he realized that he wouldn't be able to get to her before she would reach the store. "Come on, Brooke!" he made a final attempt as he watched Brooke opening the shop's door. Merely several steps behind her, he sent his hand forward and tried to drag Brooke backwards, but she had managed to step into the boutique seconds before he could pull her back, leaving Nathan no choice but to follow her inside.

"Oh my god…" the soft gasp left Brooke's lips the instant that her eyes looked around her and took in the state of her store.

"Brooke? Brooke, are you O.K.?" Rachel, who finally caught up with her, came up to Brooke, whose figure stood frozen in the middle of the store. She began to rub up and down her friend's rigid back and watched her with concern, trying to read her friend's face and understand what was going through her mind.

"I'm fine…" Brooke breathlessly gave her halfhearted reply, leaving Rachel's protective embrace in order to survey her store. She walked over to the counter and looked down at the area where she had lied bleeding, staring down at it with shock and confusion.

"This is not… Someone must have been here and cleaned this place, because this isn't what my store looked like after…" her voice trailed off as she lifted her eyes from the immaculate floor that had been rubbed spotlessly clean of any evidence of her red tears of pain and looked up at Rachel questioningly. The entire store was tidied up; the floor sparkling of spotlessness and not from pieces of shiny glass, which now were nowhere in sight, the racks had been picked up from the floor and, even though they looked sadly empty, stood neatly at the room's corners, the cash register was placed back up on the counter and even the broken glass window had been repaired. As Brooke alternated her gaze between Nathan and Rachel, asking them with her eyes if they were responsible for the refreshed state of her shop, another thought occurred to her, one that made her truly sick to the pit of her stomach.

"Please tell me that you guys did this" Brooke begged her friends, suddenly feeling how her legs were growing weak. She had done better than she had feared thanks to the lack of the traumatizing reminders of her attack, but now, as the disturbing thought entered her mind, she was regressing into the state she had worried about.

"Brooke, what's wrong?" Nathan asked her with a frown, trying to understand what had upset her like that.

"If she did this… If Victoria cleaned this place up only to sell it off, I don't think I would be able to take it…" Brooke explained, feeling her heart thumping in her chest as she thought about the plausible possibility, which would only further prove to her that her mother had been behind her attack without a doubt.

"It was me and Haley, Brooke…" Rachel quickly confessed, seeing how the color was draining from Brooke's cheeks. She immediately came up to Brooke and took her hands, fearing that her friend was about to fall off her feet without any support. "We didn't want you to come back here and have to deal with what had happened here…" she explained, looking deeply into Brooke's eyes in order to show her that she was speaking honestly.

"But the window…" Brooke argued, her voice fading away as Rachel simply shrugged before her, explaining to her with no words that she had also taken care of that. "Rachel…" Brooke gasped at the realization, her eyes filling with a mixture of emotions.

"It was your money anyway… I wanted to give it back to you one way or the other…" she tried to brush it off, yet the gesture clearly meant too much for Brooke for her to let go of the matter so easily.

"Rache… I don't know what to say…" Brooke's eyes filled with tears as she was touched by how good her friends were being to her, "I _will_ pay you back for this…" she tried to tell Rachel, only causing the redhead to frown with disapproval.

"We are better friends than that, Brooke, remember?" Rachel looked her in the eye and said, effectively silencing her friend up with the usage of the line that Brooke herself had spoken in the past. Taking a good look at her friend, Rachel could only smile compassionately as she saw how emotional Brooke seemed to be due to what she had so naturally done for her.

"Come here, silly" Rachel brought Brooke into her arms as she noticed how Brooke failed to keep her emotions at bay. Rubbing Brooke's slender back up and down in an attempt to help her stop crying, Rachel could suddenly feel Brooke's hands grabbing onto her with need.

"Thank you…" Brooke choked out, hugging Rachel with gratitude. She was so moved by Rachel and Haley's actions that she currently knew no other way of expressing her appreciation for them.

"It's really nothing, sweetie…" Rachel tried to laugh it off, while still holding Brooke to her closely, "You really don't have to cry over this…" she tried to tell Brooke, whose stream of tear maintained its flow.

"I bet you're just sad since you won't be able to use my cleaning services anymore…" Nathan took a chance and tried the same joke that he had failed with during that morning, this time finally succeeding in making Brooke let out a laugh in between her tears.

"Thank god I can still use you as a model…" Brooke drew away from Rachel and wiped away her tears, winking at Nathan through her red eyes and causing Rachel to burst out laughing.

"What?! Are you serious, Brooke?" Rachel asked with amusement as she watched Nathan moping due to Brooke's comment.

"You bet I am!" Brooke replied, sending Rachel into another round of hysterical laughter and causing Nathan to shake his head with exaggerated displeasure.

"Alright… Now that we've established that you're gonna make an idiot out of me, can we go back home?" Nathan begged, sensing his cheeks blushing as both girls giggled at him, "I'm gonna have to pick Jamie up soon…" he tried to justify his rush.

"Actually, Nate, I want to stay here for a while and work on some sketches, but you can go if you need to" Brooke said, her expression becoming serious as she spoke, "How about you bring Jamie over here after you pick him up?" she suggested, "I want to tell him myself that I'm leaving tomorrow" she added, knowing that she would need to speak to her godson on her own so he wouldn't feel like she was abandoning him.

"Sure" Nathan immediately agreed, smiling as he looked at his friend standing before him. She had come such a long way since the last time he had seen her in her store and he couldn't help but admire her for being able to regain her strength after everything that had been thrown her way.

"I'm proud of you" Nathan told Brooke as he pulled her in for a gentle hug, wanting to show her how much he meant what he had said. After drawing apart, Nathan winked at her and walked away from the store, feeling at ease to leave her behind for the first time since her attack. He was still intending to keep a close eye over her for a while, but he finally felt like Brooke had regain her ability to stand steadily and independently on her own two feet.

As Brooke watched Nathan drive away, she couldn't help but smile. She personally also felt good about herself for her decision to face her fears and not take the easy way out. Even though she wished she would stop being so emotional about everything, she felt like she had finally found the right path to get back to herself. Contently turning back into the store, Brooke took a few steps back inside and was about to find some pencils and sketching paper when she could suddenly hear someone climbing up the stairs into the store.

"Wow, Nathan, did you miss me already, hot-sh-" she smirked and asked before she turned around to face the person that had walked into her store and froze midsentence. Because it wasn't Nathan…

* * *

**AN: I know, I know... You guys hate cliffhangers... They are really so much fun though... lol... I'm really not trying to be mean and I promise that I will try to work on the next chapter whenever I can (once again- things will be seriously hectic until March, but if you guys will review I'll probably be motivated to update sooner... lol...). ;-)**


	20. Chapter 20

**Hi guys! I still have my exams, but I've been more motivated to write than to study, so you guys are getting this chapter as a result... lol... I really hope that you'll like it and once again- I apologize for not replying to your reviews- once this month will be over, I promise to give each and every one of you the individual attention you deserve! ;-) In the mean time- this is my new chapter, so enjoy! ;-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 20**

"Hi…" the figure in the store's entrance was the first to speak, as Brooke seemed to have become mute by the sight of him.

"What are you doing here?" Brooke found her voice and asked the man before her, staring at him with blank eyes.

"I was walking by and I saw you from out the window… I guess I just wanted to see how you were doing after last night…" he was quick to justify, shrugging his broad shoulders as he spoke.

"Well- as you can see, I'm fine…" Brooke retorted, crossing her hands over her chest defensively.

"Brooke…" he sighed, looking at her with frustrated eyes. He truly didn't want to fight with her, he was simply worried about her after the previous night's occurrences.

"What do you expect me to say, Owen?" Brooke asked with exasperation, turning her back to him and walking into the store.

"I guess I just wanted to tell you I was sorry for not doing a better job of looking after you last night…" Owen followed Brooke, trying to make her listen to him. In response to his apology, Brooke indeed whirled around and faced him, but the amazed expression on her face was not the one he had been hoping to see.

"That's what you're sorry for?!" Brooke snickered, shaking her head at Owen with disapproval, "Well, since it most certainly isn't your job to look after me, and since even with my foggy memory of last night, I still don't recall you forcing me into drinking anything I didn't want to- you are forgiven!" she said, her tone so fake and detached that Owen instantly understood that he had completely blown his chance with Brooke.

"I'm sorry about everything else too, Brooke… You didn't deserve the way I treated you…" Owen added quietly, his eyes filling with shame as he spoke.

"Whatever…" Brooke simply rolled her eyes at him and replied carelessly. She had bigger issues to tend to in any event, so everything that had happened with Owen was truly the last thing on her mind.

"Come on, Brooke- are you gonna make the poor guy grovel?" both Brooke and Owen immediately averted their gazes towards Rachel, who was leaning on the counter and amusedly watched their heated discussion, left completely forgotten in the midst of all the drama.

As Brooke raised an eyebrow at Rachel, silently asking her why she was taking Owen's side, Rachel's entertained smile only widened. She walked over to the two brunettes, smirking openly as she saw how Owen was staring at her stupidly, as if the mere sight of her had caused his mind to grow blank.

"Owen, right?" Rachel reached the two and seductively grinned at him, "I never really had a chance to thank you properly…" she looked up at him with teasing, twinkling eyes and slowly said, broadening her smirk as she saw how his eyes momentarily flashed down her body, as if having a mind of their own.

"It… It was nothing really…" Owen gulped and stuttered, causing Brooke to roll her eyes at his foolish behavior and Rachel to giggle flirtatiously. He truly felt like the world's biggest idiot at that moment, but something about Rachel's presence had caused Owen to act in a way he hadn't behaved since he was merely a teenager.

"Are you always this modest, Owen?" Rachel continued flirting, causing Brooke to raise her eyebrow at her with amusement. Rachel glanced at Brooke and simply shrugged, returning her full attention back to the man who was trying, without any success, to hide his lack of coolness away from her.

"Well…" Owen smiled back at her like a fool, not knowing what else to say, as the sight of the redhead beauty had erased any coherent thought out of his mind.

"Pa-lease…" Brooke snorted as she watched how Owen was making an idiot out of himself in front of Rachel, her comment finally throwing Owen out of the blissful daze Rachel had seemed to pull him into.

"Sorry…" he cleared his throat, shaking his head as he tried to regain the ability to think clearly and regain his shattered dignity. As he looked over at the two girls before him and watched them giggling over his ridiculous behavior, the only thing he could think of saying was, "Look, Brooke- how about I invite you for a drink tomorrow night at Tric?" he tried to make his peace offering. When Brooke didn't respond and Rachel seemed to be expectantly looking at him, he thoughtlessly added, "You too, Rachel" those last three words finally extracting a response out of the small brunette before him, yet not the response he had wanted to receive.

"_Are you stupid?!_" Brooke screeched with fury, her voice reaching its highest peak and causing both Rachel and Owen to cringe from the ringing in their ears. "You were there with me in New York that day! How the hell could you ask her that?!" Brooke angrily exclaimed, not believing how Owen could invite a newly recovered drug addict back into the party scene, instantly causing Owen to realize his mistake.

"It's fine, Brooke, he didn't mean it…" Rachel tried to calm her friend down, knowing that Brooke was only looking after her, but realizing the innocent nature of Owen's mistake. She could tell that Owen was after all not a bad guy and truthfully only flirted with him in order to make Brooke jealous and help open Brooke's eyes, so that the couple would reunite, but now that she saw how Brooke was fuming, she realized her mistake and understood that she must have been wrong about any feelings that she suspected that Brooke had towards Owen, because clearly there was none.

"I'm really sorry, Rachel…" Owen looked so guilty and full of remorse, that Rachel actually felt bad for him.

"It's really O.K…." Rachel immediately responded, wanting to erase the shameful look off the poor guy's face, yet Brooke had a different plan in mind.

"No, it's not… You of all people should know better than that!" Brooke told Owen with disappointment, looking at him straight in the eye and causing him to feel truly awful with himself.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rachel asked with confusion, looking between the two brunettes, yet Owen and Brooke were too busy staring at each other to reply. The tension in the room could have been sliced with a knife as Brooke and Owen speechlessly looked into each other's eyes, her anger mixing with his shame and hurt. Owen knew that she was right, that considering his past, he should have known better, but it still felt pretty awful to hear her say that to her face. He knew that the emotions were the ones speaking out of Brooke's mouth, as he had seen how terrified she had been at that evening they had spent in her apartment in New York, but her accusation was still like a deadly blow to him.

When all three of them suddenly heard the store's door opening, Brooke and Owen were finally thrown out of their mutual gaze. Averting her eyes from Owen to the person in the entrance of the store, Brooke spotted Lucas holding two cups of coffee in his hands and looking at the scenario before him with confusion.

"Is this a bad time?" he awkwardly asked, sensing the tension in the air. Brooke was about to reply when she suddenly heard Owen's voice quietly speaking.

"You're right…" he softly admitted, the defeat in his voice filling Brooke's heart with guilt.

"Owen- wait…" she sighed and called after him, but he had already turned his back to her and started walking away. Brooke ran her hand through her hair as she watched him walk away and let out a deep, uneasy breath. She realized that she was wrong to call out on Owen's sore spot, which he had trusted her enough to confide in her.

"Is everything O.K.?" Lucas cluelessly questioned as he looked between Rachel and Brooke, not understanding what had just happened.

Without speaking a word, Rachel and Brooke exchanged understanding glances, after which Brooke nodded at Rachel, whose eyes asked Brooke for permission to go after Owen, as she could tell that the two brunettes were too emotional to speak to one another at the moment. Rachel quietly walked towards the exit of the store, after Owen, and hesitantly paused in the doorway.

"Brooke, are you gonna be O.K.?" she quietly asked, ignoring Lucas' questioning looks at her and at Brooke. She felt a strong need to go after Owen, yet was quite uneasy about leaving Brooke behind.

"I'll be fine, Rache…" Brooke reassured, forcing an undimpled smile for the redhead's sake. Rachel returned the gesture and quickly slipped out of the store, leaving Lucas alone with Brooke.

"Is everything alright?" Lucas tried to break the ice and awkwardly asked again, looking at Brooke's tense form with cautious eyes. When Brooke failed to respond and seemed to continue to stand stiffly before him, Lucas realized that he might need to take a bigger step in order to pull Brooke out of the distraught state she seemed to be in.

"Hey… Come sit down…" Lucas gently offered, his hand finding his way to the small of Brooke's back as he guided her to the sofa in the middle of the store. As he sat down beside her, Lucas took in the empty state of the store and frowned, yet didn't say a word as he saw Brooke burying her face in her hands and letting out a deep sigh. He could immediately see that Brooke would need to calm down a little before he could start interrogating her about the reasons for the bare space that they were sitting in.

As his hand was still supporting Brooke's lower back, Lucas could distinctly feel how tense her body was. Wanting to help relieve her stress, Lucas began to naturally stroke soothing circles on her back with his hand, feeling Brooke's body slowly easing its tension in response.

"I brought you some coffee…" Lucas quietly told Brooke after several minutes, when he felt like Brooke had somewhat calmed down. When Brooke finally lifted her head from her hands and looked up at him, Lucas calmingly smiled at her and handed her one of the two plastic cups that he had brought in with him.

"Thanks, Luke…" Brooke gave him a small, wary smile, taking the cup from his hand and sipping a bit of its warm contents. She had suddenly become truly exhausted; the visit at the doctor's, the tension and intense emotions she had felt due to the anxiety of reentering her store and the confrontation with Owen truly got to her. Lucas' gentle strokes of her lower back, which she had been too distracted to notice at first, now soothed her and added to the sleepy feeling that was overcoming her.

As she rubbed her eye with her hand, Lucas stilled his hand and looked at her face with concern, "Does your head still hurt?" he questioned, his hand automatically moving from the small of Brooke's back to brush over her temple.

As Brooke felt his thumb gently stroking her face, she let her eyes wander over to him and got caught in the sea of emotions that sailed through his ocean colored eyes. She sucked in a breath as she suddenly realized how close they were sitting to one another; so close that her leg was slightly grazing his. She didn't know how to explain it, but even after all those years, after everything that had happened between them, being near Lucas still made her heart flutter in her chest, no matter how much she tried to deny it. However, when she was suddenly reminded how the last time that she had depended on Lucas ended, Brooke took in a deep breath and distanced herself from his touch.

"I'm fine…" she merely whispered, fearing to allow Lucas to be too close to her heart due to the still-healing wounds of the past.

Lucas looked at her skeptically but decided to drop the subject. He knew how Brooke tended to detach herself from others when she would feel vulnerable, and decided to respect her discomfort and give her the space that she sought, as he had no intention to fight with her or to distress her. As he once again looked around the store, wondering why it was emptied of its contents, he couldn't help but speak up.

"Are you renovating?" he gently questioned. He had a feeling that something bigger than a redecoration of the shop was going on, but decided to let Brooke be the one to tell him what was going on.

"Something like that…" she mumbled, not ready to go into detail about her attack with Lucas yet. When the room grew silent, though, she didn't really know why, but she found herself saying, "I'm kind of having some issues with the company right now…"

"I'm really sorry I wasn't here to help" Lucas immediately told her regretfully, looking at her with guilty eyes. It was extremely obvious to him all along that Brooke had been dealing with a handful while he had been away, but hearing her personally admitting that to his face was truly awful for him.

"Why did you go?" Lucas suddenly heard Brooke asking in such a small, broken voice, that it truly shattered his heart. It was clear to him at that moment that things would have been completely different had he remained in Tree Hill, that he had truly made the biggest mistake of his life by leaving. When he raised his gaze and was met with Brooke's sad hazel eyes, he wanted to mentally kick himself for planting that sorrow in her heart.

"I was confused" Lucas confessed, locking Brooke's gaze with his as he spoke, "I felt like it was wrong to have three women in my life, and that I needed to choose one…" he truthfully explained.

"Three?" Brooke questioned with confusion and slight surprise. She knew that Lucas had been torn between Lindsay and Peyton, but didn't realize that there had been a third woman in the battle over Lucas' heart.

"Well, there was Lindsay… I _did_ almost marry her" Lucas began to honestly elaborate, as he sensed the need to come clean with Brooke in order to regain her trust. When Brooke nodded with understanding, Lucas carefully continued, "and Peyton was the girl everyone told me that was meant for me, so I had that idea stuck in my head, but didn't realize that she was different from the vision that I created in my head until we were in Vegas…" he told Brooke, who was listening quietly.

"That's only two, Lucas…" Brooke pointed out, looking at him with such serious eyes, that Lucas couldn't help but smile.

"And then there's you…" he softly said to her, watching her features fill with shock.

"Me??" Brooke looked at Lucas with genuine surprise, realizing for the first time that she hadn't been the only one that sensed the special connection that they shared while she had been parenting Angie.

"Those several weeks during which you were taking care of Angie, you actually made me feel like I had a place of my own, with my own family…" he began. When he saw Brooke's features fill with panic, he quickly grabbed onto her hands in order to prevent her from fleeing away.

"I'm not trying to make you freak out and I don't want you to feel uncomfortable if you didn't feel the same way, I just want you to know what drove me into leaving…" Lucas tried to soothe, but Brooke could feel her heart racing in her chest. Hearing him confess that he had felt the exact same way that she had while Angie had been around truly terrified her. Brooke was truly scared that now that there was nothing really coming between them, Lucas might try to tempt her into listening to her heart and not her head, and knew how dangerous it would be for her to take that risk.

"What do you expect to happen now, Lucas?" Brooke breathlessly questioned as she realized that she couldn't go anywhere with the way that Lucas was holding onto her hand.

"I don't expect anything… I know that I hurt you by leaving when you needed me so I know I don't have the right to expect anything, but I feel like I owe it to you to tell you the truth…" he told her. When Brooke remained seated before him and seemed to have calmed down slightly by his explanation, Lucas felt like he could continue, "I had you and Lindsay and Peyton on my mind, and for some reason I felt like I needed to make a choice between the three of you, so that I won't be misleading anyone… I made a rash and easy choice, the one I knew that everyone else would be pleased with, and when I finally gave my decision some thought- I realized that I hadn't been listening to my heart, that I hadn't done what _I_ really wanted…" Lucas told Brooke, increasing the pressure that she felt on her chest. As his gaze intensified when he looked deeply into her eyes, Brooke felt like it was becoming truly too much for her.

"Lucas- I'm not sure what you are trying to tell me, but right now I really can't-"

"Calm down, Brooke- I'm not asking for anything…" Lucas cut into her speech and grabbed onto her shoulders as he saw how much pressure Brooke seemed to feel due to their conversation, "All I want is to know that I still have you as my close and dear friend, alright?" he gently asked her, causing Brooke to nod in response to the pleading look in his eyes.

"Now, can I finally give my friend a hug?" Lucas questioned with a small, hopeful smile, receiving yet another nod in return. He gently gathered Brooke into his arms and gave her a long, warm hug. It truly killed him to call Brooke his friend when all he could think about was how whole he felt with her in his embrace. However, he realized that if that was what Brooke was able to give him at the moment, he had to be grateful and accept her wish.

"I'm glad we had this talk…" Lucas mumbled into Brooke's hair as he ran his hands up and down her back, still holding her to him.

"Me too…" Brooke quietly said, her hands slightly tightening around Lucas' warm, familiar frame. She was truly relieved to hear Lucas explain to her what had driven him to leave Tree Hill, as now she finally understood that he did continue caring about her after all, yet hearing him tell her that he only wanted her as a friend broke her heart. She knew that she wasn't ready to be in a relationship, as she had so many personal issues that she needed to deal with first, yet she could never see Lucas as merely a friend.

As she felt Lucas' arms protectively pulling her closer to him, Brooke couldn't help but snuggle into his body and admit to herself that despite the many fears and weaknesses she was buried inside, her heart was still, without a doubt, full with pure love for Lucas Scott…

"I am really sorry that I hurt you, Brooke… You know that, right?" Lucas softly whispered to her, his hands pulling Brooke closer to his heart. Held securely against Lucas' body, Brooke closed her eyes and took a deep breath before nodding. She was truly finding it harder and harder to ignore the effect that Lucas was having on her.

Lucas, who took notice in Brooke's delayed reply, perceived her hesitance as discomfort. Realizing that he had been holding onto her for longer than what was appropriate for a friendly hug, Lucas affectionately squeezed her to him for a moment and then gently let go of her. There was truly nothing he wanted less than to leave Brooke's side, but he didn't want to come onto her too strongly after the panic attack that he had caused her the last time he had done so.

"Well… I should probably get going…" Lucas softly smiled at Brooke and said, his hand lingering on Brooke's side for yet another moment before reluctantly letting go of her.

Left without Lucas' touch, Brooke suddenly felt extremely cold. She hugged her arms around herself, not only due to the physical affect Lucas' absence had on her body, but also due to a fear that suddenly sprang inside of her as she realized that with Lucas gone, she would be left alone in her store. As much as she hated to admit it- Brooke knew that she most certainly wasn't ready for that yet, as she suddenly felt a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach, as though someone was watching her from outside the store, just waiting for the moment in which she would be left alone in the store again…

"Wait!" Brooke's panicked voice caught Lucas at the store's doorway. He immediately whirled around at the sound of Brooke's fearful tone and frowned as he detected the terrified expression on her face.

"Hey… What's wrong?" Lucas immediately came over to Brooke's side and questioned in concern.

"Luke… Could you please stay for a bit longer? Just until Nathan comes back here…" Brooke's pleading, frightened eyes fell to the floor as she tried to explain her seemingly unclear behavior, "I know it's stupid, I just…"

"It's not stupid, and of course I'll stay" Lucas immediately replied. The pure fear on Brooke's features made it clear to him that there was nothing stupid about her request, that she had an extremely good reason to ask him not to leave her alone. His hand found its way to Brooke's face and brushed a stray strand of hair out of her eyes, "Are you alright?" he worriedly asked, looking carefully at her tense features.

"I'm fine…" Brooke tried to mask her anxiety with a forced smile, her heart still beating at an alarmed pace. When she lifted her eyes to Lucas and noticed that he wasn't buying her tough act, she let out a tense sigh and honestly told him, "I'm gonna sound crazy to you, but it suddenly felt like there was someone outside watching us…"

"Do you want me to take a look around the store?" Lucas asked, taking her confession seriously as he knew that Brooke didn't tend to be jumpy over nothing. He was about to exit the store and search around it when he felt Brooke's small hand nervously grabbing onto his palm.

"No!" she replied quickly, not wanting him to walk out of the store and leave her behind. When she realized how desperate she most have sounded, Brooke added, "It's really probably nothing…" attempting to brush things off.

"Alright…" Lucas slowly replied, his gaze glued to Brooke as he spoke. It was completely obvious to him that Brooke's reluctance to let him go wasn't derived from an attempt to keep him from troubling himself, but he decided not to question Brooke's motives and to just let her know that he was there.

When the two of them returned to the sofa and took a seat one besides the other, Brooke let out a breath that she didn't even realize that she was holding. With Lucas by her side, she truly felt safe, even with the possibility of someone actually spying on her from outside her store.

"Thanks, Luke…" Brooke softly expressed her gratitude, glancing over to him momentarily to flash him a slightly more relieved smile. "I'm sorry for troubling you over nothing…" she quietly said.

"It's really fine…" Lucas chuckled, glad that he could be of help even if all he was doing was to sit by Brooke's side and make her feel secure.

Little did both of them know that Brooke's instincts were right on, that there was indeed someone sitting out of the store and staring closely at Brooke, watching every single move she made…

* * *

**AN: Well, that's all for now... I promise you that next time I will include that Bramie conversation I promise plus much much more drama... ;-) Please tell me what you thought!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Hi guys! I'm sorry for the huge delay with posting this chapter- life got in the way... Anyway- my exams are finally over for this semester and now I have time to write again! I know that you waited for a really long time for an update, so this is an extra long chapter for all of you. I really hope that you'll enjoy it... Thanks again for everyone who's been following this so far- you guys rock!! ;-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 21**

Brooke knee naturally brushed against Lucas' leg as she wholeheartedly laughed at a silly story about Jamie, which Lucas had told her. They had been sitting side by side for a while now, and the casual conversation that Lucas maintained with her truly managed to put Brooke at ease and erase the discomfort that she had priorly felt due to Lucas' lack of distance from her. His wise choice for the conversation's topic- the young boy that Brooke loved so dearly, who was the only thing that had managed to make her completely happy at this time, also added to the tenseless atmosphere that spread throughout the room.

"That kid is just amazing…" Brooke noted in between her laughs, causing Lucas to nod in agreement. He watched Brooke genuinely smiling as she thought about her godson and couldn't help but grin in response. He suddenly felt an inexplicable urge to slip his fingers into the two gorgeous dimples that appeared on Brooke's cheeks and caress her soft skin, but forcefully restrained himself, knowing that the gesture would be inappropriate. Lucas didn't really know where these thoughts were coming from and why the hell was he thinking like that, but it was a simple fact that he couldn't take his eyes off of Brooke. As he continued staring at Brooke, admiring her beauty, which suddenly stood out to him even more than it usually would, she averted her gaze and got caught in the intensity of his mesmerizing eyes.

"What?" Brooke nervously laughed, trying to understand why he was looking at her like that. She recognized that look in his eyes- it was the one he used to affectionately and admiringly stare at her with back in high school, when they had been a couple. As she felt herself sinking into Lucas' emotion-filled orbs, Brooke abruptly averted her gaze, knowing that she couldn't afford to lose herself in him.

"Nothing…" Lucas simply smiled at her, looking at her reassuringly when she dared to look back at him. He had almost told her that she looked very beautiful at that moment, but understood that he needed to take baby steps with Brooke if he didn't want her to shut herself off and run away from him.

"So…" Lucas cleared his throat, trying to think about a safe subject that he could talk about, "Have Angie's parents spoken to you yet?" he questioned.

"They called the day that you left and told me that she's doing great" Brooke told Lucas with a sad smile, suddenly rising to her feet and walking away from him and over to the store's counter.

Lucas guiltily looked after her, thinking that he had upset her with his question, but restrained the apology that had almost slipped out of his mouth when he saw Brooke reaching for her bag and rummaging through it for something. He remained quiet as he witnessed Brooke pulling out an envelope and returning back to his side.

"This also arrived in the mail today…" Brooke handed him the packet, tucking her hair behind her ear as she watched Lucas carefully. Lucas opened the envelope up and chuckled as bright pictures of the baby he had grown to love almost as though she was his own filled his eyes.

"She looks so cute in the clothes that you made for her…" Lucas laughed and remarked as he browsed through the images of the bubbly, healthy baby before him, enjoying to see the evidence of her safe return to her home.

"Yeah…" Brooke distantly said with a vague smile, obviously drifted into a different place by her thoughts about the small girl that no longer brightened up her home.

"You truly did a great thing for her, Brooke…" Lucas' hand found its way back to Brooke's back and gently stroked it in soothing circles.

Sitting in her empty store with a sore, tender stomach and only having pictures with which she could remember the sweet baby that had captured her heart, Brooke could feel tears pricking in her eyes as she wished she could go back in time to when things seemed much more simple. The gentleness and care with which Lucas was treating her only triggered her emotions even more, forcing Brooke to bite her lower lip in order to keep her tears from falling.

"Hey, come here, Brooke…" Lucas quickly pulled Brooke in for a side hug, holding her to him securely. Brooke let him keep her body in his arms, but mentally detached herself from him, taking deep breaths and focusing on pushing her emotions away, as she didn't want to lose control of her emotions, realizing that there would be no going back once her first tear would be shed.

"Brooke…" she heard Lucas' voice softly addressing her, "What happened to you while I was away?" he gently asked as his hands carefully stroked her back, urging her to speak, yet causing her to draw away from his touch, so she wouldn't be tempted to do so.

"I don't really want to talk about it right now…" Brooke quietly replied and took a deep breath, her eyes looking down at her fidgeting fingers. As she sensed Lucas quietly sighing with concern from above her, she made herself look up at him and forced a small smile for his sake, "I'm really fine now, Luke…" she said, not convincing him the slightest bit.

"Yeah…" he halfheartedly replied, nonetheless, as he didn't want to pressure Brooke. Sensing that he needed to change the mood, Lucas quickly offered, "Have you eaten lunch yet, Brooke? Because I was thinking of treating you to Italian food…" he suggested, purposely picking Brooke's favorite food in order to make it harder for her to refuse.

"Actually, I…" Brooke began to speak with a rekindled smile, yet didn't have a chance to finish saying, as Jamie suddenly barged into the store, followed by Nathan, who was carrying a big box in his hands.

"Aunt Brooke- we brought you pizza!" he happily declared, bouncing onto Brooke's lap joyfully and immediately causing her small, slightly fake smile to be replaced with a beaming, genuine one.

"What's with you Scott boys trying to feed me? Are you trying to make me fat??" Brooke jokingly questioned, tickling her godson's sides and causing him to laugh and wiggle on her lap.

"You're… not fat… aunt… Brooke…" Jamie replied through his laughter, finally causing Brooke to stop tickling him.

"Alright little man, show me that pizza!" Brooke hugged Jamie's small body and said, causing Jamie to point over to Nathan, who held the pizza box in his hand.

"Is there a slice for me too?" Lucas questioned teasingly, only now attempting to gain his small nephew's attention.

"Umm…" Jamie awkwardly looked between his godmother and godfather, contemplating what to say. Even though nobody directly told him that, Jamie had realized that his uncle hadn't been visiting him since the day in which he had seen him causing Brooke to cry in the guestroom, and understood that Brooke was uncomfortable around Lucas. Not wanting to say anything that would hurt either one of his godparents, Jamie finally said, "Only if that's O.K. with aunt Brooke…" causing the three adults in the room to chuckle due to his intelligence and sensitivity.

"Well?" Lucas teasingly challenged Brooke, who pretended to be contemplating her decision, enjoying the position of power she was currently in. He raised his eyebrows at Brooke with an awaiting smile, and slightly chuckled as a mischievous smirk appeared on Brooke's face.

"I guess you can have a bite of my pizza…" Brooke shrugged, causing Jamie to smile and Nathan to laugh.

"A bite, huh?" Lucas chuckled, yet continued pretending to play along with Brooke's little game.

"Yeah, Luke- you heard her" Nathan joined in, enjoying to tease his brother, "It's one bite- take it or leave it…" he shrugged, as if he had just offered Lucas the best bargain there could have been.

"What do you think, Jimmy-Jam?" Lucas turned to the small boy, his last possible ally, for support, yet Jamie, who was still held tightly in Brooke's arms, had already picked his stand.

"I told you, uncle Lucas…" Jamie shrugged with a wide smile, "Aunt Brooke decides… My hands are tied…" he said, causing Brooke to kiss his head triumphantly.

"You know what I think?" Lucas smirked, ready for a sweet payback of his own, "I think that if I tickle aunt Brooke, maybe I'll get two bites…" Lucas playfully said, rising to his feet and causing Brooke to squeal and run away from him. Just as Lucas was about to reach Brooke and playfully grab her, Nathan gripped his arm tightly and pulled him back.

"You'd better not, Luke…" Nathan gently warned him, keeping the tender state of Brooke's stomach in mind. He didn't want to embarrass Brooke by telling Lucas about her visit at the doctor's earlier that day, yet couldn't help but act upon instinct and protect her by preventing Lucas from touching her sensitive skin, which had still been stitched up that morning. Nathan maintained a serious look as he kept his hand firmly on Lucas' arm, causing the blond to look at him questioningly.

"Nate?" he confusedly asked, not understanding why Nathan had stopped him with such force and conviction, as Brooke was finally laughing and feeling comfortable around him. He was about to question Nathan about what was going on when Jamie's happy, hopeful voice piped in.

"Does this mean that you and uncle Lucas are friends again, aunt Brooke?" Jamie wishfully looked at her, his emotion-filled eyes melting her heart.

"Of course we're friends, little man…" Brooke laughed and playfully pinched her godson's nose, amused, once again, of his observant and intelligent nature. After hearing Brooke's response, Jamie's eyes immediately lit up, as if she had just given him the biggest present he had ever seen.

"So can uncle Lucas come over again, like he used to?" Jamie excitedly asked, his genuine enthusiasm causing the three adults to laugh.

"Sure he can, buddy" Nathan ascertained his son with such a confident tone, that Jamie's smile widened even more.

"Can he come over today?" Jamie's eyes sparkled as he tried his luck, looking at his father pleadingly.

"I don't know about that, Jamie…"

"How about tomorrow?" Jamie immediately argued, not even allowing Nathan to finish his sentence off. He turned over to Lucas and told him "I really want you and Brooke to play 'Rock Band' with me…" he said, smiling at Lucas irresistibly.

"Actually, Jamie, I need to talk to you…" Brooke's dimpled smile was instantly replaced with a serious expression as she spoke. She took Jamie's small hand into hers and walked him over to the sofa, seating him across from her so she could face him easily.

"What is it, aunt Brooke?" Jamie sincerely questioned, sensing the change in his godmother's demeanor.

"You know how much I loved living so close to you lately, right?" Brooke began, receiving a silent nod from Jamie, who wanted to give Brooke the space to finish speaking, "Well, even though it was really awesome- I'm gonna have to go back home tomorrow…" Brooke tried to explain simply, yet Jamie upsetedly rose from his seat and tried to sprint away from Brooke, only to be gently grabbed by her and pulled onto her lap.

"Jamie-" Brooke hugged him and kissed his temple in an attempt to appease him, yet Jamie discontently cut her off.

"You promised me that you won't leave me!" he exclaimed, reminding her of the guarantee she had given him right after he had lost Quentin.

"I'm not leaving you, buddy" Brooke reassured, nudging his cheek with her nose in an attempt to settle his spirits.

"I don't want you to go…" Jamie insistently protested, turning on Brooke's lap and looking at her with pleading eyes, "Please, aunt Brooke" he begged, truly breaking Brooke's heart.

"This just means that I'm finally better, little man…" Brooke tried another tactic, this time finally managing to soften up Jamie's frown, "Aren't you happy that I'm getting better?" she questioned him softly.

"Yeah…" Jamie grumbled as he looked down at his hands. He truly hated to admit that Brooke's departure of his home now made sense to him.

"Hey… Come on- I'll still come over all the time and you know that you can come and see me at my place whenever you'd like to…" Brooke tried to cheer him up, failing at getting him to meet her warm gaze. Feeling terrible for making the little boy so sad, Brooke raised her eyes up to Nathan and looked at him helplessly.

"I'll tell you what, Jamie" Nathan, who remained quiet so far in an attempt to allow Brooke and Jamie to speak, finally interfered, "I bet Brooke would love to come for dinner tomorrow and if Lucas doesn't have any plans- he could come too and we could all eat together and play with you…" Nathan offered, immediately managing to put a hopeful expression on his son's face. The little boy looked up at Brooke expectantly and, upon receiving a consenting nod, turned his wishful eyes over to Lucas.

"Please, uncle Luke!" Jamie's puppy eyes immediately got to Lucas, who couldn't help but nod agreeable. As he saw how happily his nephew was smiling, a playful thought entered Lucas' mind.

"Only if I get an entire slice of pizza, though…" he made his condition, causing all those present to laugh. As the pizza box was finally opened and all four pulled a warm slice into their hands and began eating, Jamie's eyes fell on Brooke once again.

"Aunt Brooke?" he addressed her, a quizzical expression on his face.

"What is it, handsome?" she asked him with a genuine smile, enjoying the calming feeling of being surrounded by the three Scott boys she cared for so much and felt so protected and cherished amongst.

"Are you really gonna make Daddy wear women's clothes?" Jamie scrunched his nose and sincerely asked, his question causing Lucas to choke on his pizza.

"You… You're gonna do _what_?" Lucas questioned with disbelief throughout his coughs and laughs as Brooke instinctively tapped his back, so he could breath properly again.

"Are you O.K.?" Brooke looked at Lucas with slight concern, which instantly faded as soon as Lucas stopped coughing and nodded at her reassuringly, "Good! Because you're gonna model for me too!" she announced, the priceless expression on Lucas' face throwing Jamie, Brooke and Nathan into a fit of laughs.

"Brooke…" Lucas tried to refuse, truly uncomfortable with the thought of letting Brooke make a fool out of him.

"Oh, come on, Luke… What happened to 'anything for you'?" Brooke questioned, effectively silencing Lucas and receiving her second "volunteer" model for the new sketches she already had in mind. As Lucas buried his face in his hands and shook his head, unable to believe what he had just agreed to do, Brooke couldn't help but giggle and add, "Don't worry, Luke- I'm gonna make you really pretty…" causing Lucas to groan, but everyone else to loudly and wholeheartedly laugh. It was official- the old Brooke Davis had finally risen from the ashes, and even Lucas, despite being the victim of the situation, couldn't deny that it was truly great to finally have her back…

* * *

Rachel watchfully looked at Brooke as the brunette kept herself busy straightening her house up after the two of them finally moved back in. The brunette seemed to be working nonstop since her visit to the doctor's the prior day- either sketching and sewing or loading and unpacking her belongings, that Rachel was beginning to feel like her head was spinning. She, Haley and Nathan had all tried to tell Brooke to take it easy, but the lively girl wouldn't hear of it, seemingly needing to let out all the energy she had stored since being attacked. Even after bidding Haley, Nathan and Jamie goodbye several times, due to their reluctance to let her go, swinging by her store to grab some working materials, neatly unpacking all of the possessions she had brought over to the Scott residence and spending the entire afternoon sewing her new designs and cleaning the house, Brooke showed no signs of slowing down. Rachel decided to remain silent, yet keep a watchful eye over her friend, knowing that Brooke would refuse to listen to her advice until she would finally wear herself out and would be left with no choice but to be guided to bed, to get some rest.

"I'm sorry that the room isn't ready for you yet…" Brooke fussed over and about Peyton's former room, trying to tidily collect the belongings that the blonde had left behind inside a box. Even though Peyton hadn't actually moved out of the house, it technically belonged to Brooke, leaving her with the authority to decide that they could no longer live under the same roof and that her redhead friend was much more deserving of the extra bedroom the house had to offer.

"I don't get why you're bothering with that bitch's stuff" Rachel honestly told her, unable to believe how delicately Brooke was handling the possessions of her backstabbing friend, "You should throw that junk out of the window…" she sincerely offered, bringing a small smile to the brunette's face.

"Why are you folding her clothes??" Rachel incredulously exclaimed as she watched Brooke carefully collecting the remainder of Peyton's items from the room, receiving a gentle shrug from the brunette. Brooke knew that Peyton didn't deserve her delicate treatment, yet couldn't bring herself to throw Peyton's items away, even though Peyton had certainly thrown their friendship down the drain.

"You've got too good of a heart, Brooke…" Rachel sighed and said, unable to stop herself but say, "Just don't pity her like you always do when she comes crying for forgiveness again…" she warned.

"Don't worry, Rache… She really blew her last chance this time…" Brooke quietly said, continuing to collect the rest of Peyton's stuff. When she finally finished, Brooke suddenly felt an acute wave of fatigue washing her over, causing her to slightly lose her balance.

"Hey… Come sit down…" Rachel immediately grabbed onto her friend and seated her on the bed, knowing that Brooke had finally hit the point of exhaustion that she had been anticipating. Watching Brooke grabbing her head, which appeared to be slightly spinning, Rachel guided Brooke into a lying position on the bed, "That's enough running around for today, missy…" Rachel half jokingly lectured Brooke as she adjusted the blankets, so that they were wrapped around her friend, "You should get some rest, so that you'll have energy to play with Jamie tonight…" she reminded Brooke, who tried to protest to Rachel's attempts to take care of her and rise up from the bed.

"I'm really fine…" Brooke argued, yet Rachel most certainly wasn't going to allow Brooke to wear herself out even more.

"Then just get some beauty sleep, so you'll be all pretty for Lucas…" Rachel joked, receiving a playful smack from her friend.

"You know we are just friends!" Brooke exclaimed, not even realizing how red her cheeks had become due to Rachel's remark. Rachel just shook her head and laughed. It was completely obvious that Brooke had strong feelings towards the blond Scott, yet Rachel was actually happy that Brooke was being careful with her heart around him due to the pain he had put her through in the past.

"Then why are you blushing?" Rachel pointed out, causing Brooke to be speechless for a moment, before she bit back.

"You mean, like Owen was blushing around you yesterday?" Brooke challenged, now leaving Rachel at a loss of words.

"He… I didn't… Whatever, Brooke…" Rachel stuttered, causing Brooke to giggle at her friend's sudden nervousness.

"You know that I don't mind you going out with him, Rache" Brooke looked at Rachel sincerely and honestly spoke, taking her friend's hand in her own. When Rachel didn't reply, confirming Brooke's suspicions that she also felt attracted to the bartender, Brooke softly added, "but are you sure that's a good idea, honey? I mean- the guy works at a bar…"

"I'm sober now, Brooke" Rachel cut her off defensively and slightly snapped.

"I know, sweetie… I just want you to keep it that way…" Brooke gently told her, looking at her caringly.

"I won't let anything get in my way of that, especially not a guy, so don't worry…" Rachel ascertained Brooke, a smile forming on her face due to how much Brooke seemed to be caring about her. When Brooke smiled at her back, deciding to trust Rachel's judgment, Rachel's added playfully, "Not even an extremely hot one…" causing Brooke to gasp and giggle.

"You are seriously hot for him!" she exclaimed, receiving a pillow in the face from Rachel.

"Go to sleep, Penelope… You're not making sense anymore…" Rachel joked, peeling the pillow from Brooke's face after a short moment.

"Fine…" Brooke giggled and finally snuggled into the blankets, giving in to her exhaustion at last, "Just wake me up in an hour. I still have some work to do before we go to dinner tonight…" Brooke sleepily asked Rachel, closing her eyes as her tired state took over her.

"What work exactly is due tonight?" Rachel inquired with disbelief, glad to see Brooke finally motivated to design again, but fearing that she was overdoing herself.

"You'll see right after dinner…" Brooke mumbled into her pillow, already half asleep, causing Rachel to shake her head with amazement. There was no question about it anymore- Brooke was back to being the crazy girl she knew and loved…

* * *

"You look so pretty, aunt Brooke!" Jamie excitedly greeted Brooke that night, as she stepped into his house, wearing a casual dress, simple make up applied to her face, and carrying two huge bags in her hands.

"Thank you, handsome" Brooke happily smiled at the small boy, walking with him into the house, the bags still held securely in her hands.

"What have you got there?" Jamie curiously inquired, his eyes moving between Brooke and Rachel, who was right behind Brooke, waiting for an answer.

"Don't look at me, kid… I have no clue as to what Brooke's mystery project is…" she truthfully said, obviously sharing Jamie's curiosity.

"Let's just say that we're going to have an artistic performance after dinner…" Brooke winked at Jamie, causing his eyes to widen with enthusiasm.

"Are these the clothes you made for daddy and Lucas?" he guessed, causing Brooke's grin to broaden. She secretively nodded at Jamie, causing him to laugh excitedly, as he was happy to be part of her plan now.

"Are you moving back in here, Davis?" Nathan entered the living room and teasingly asked as he saw the big bags that Brooke was carrying.

"Why, do you miss me already?" Brooke playfully grinned at him, causing Nathan to chuckle. "Don't worry, Nate- I'm quite comfy at my own place. This is just a little surprise for later…" she casually said, now causing Nathan's smile to disappear.

"O.K., now I'm really worried…" Nathan admitted, only partially kidding, the hints of his genuine embarrassment causing Brooke, Rachel and Jamie to burst out laughing.

"What's going on in here?" Haley questioned as she entered the room, looking at her husband with a smile.

"Oh nothing, Hales… I'm just having a pep talk with one of my models for tonight's fashion show…" Brooke finally revealed, causing Nathan to groan with awkwardness and everyone else to stifle laughs.

"Is that so, Brooke Davis?" Haley questioned with an amused smile, her attention averting to the door seconds later, through which Lucas entered.

"And here comes the other one!" Brooke gladly announced, this time causing all those present to chuckle, with the exception of Lucas, who didn't understand what the commotion was about.

"Hey guys… What did I miss?" he questioned, unable to help but smile at the sight of his friends laughing so freely and happily.

"Oh nothing…" Brooke replied through her giggles, her natural dimples poking their way through her cheeks. Lucas' eyes lingered on Brooke for long enough so that everyone managed to realize that he was staring at her, but he truly couldn't stop looking at the breathtaking sight of Brooke's beauty. Finally, when Brooke's eyes met his for a moment and then shyly slipped away to the floor, Lucas nervously cleared his throat and looked away.

"So, Jimmy-Jam- are you going to show us how to play 'Rock Band' after dinner?" Lucas quickly questioned, trying to shift his focus off of the gorgeous brunette before him. His attention was averted right back to Brooke, however, when his small nephew mischievously smirked.

"Oh, I think aunt Brooke has a much better plan for tonight…"

* * *

"Alright, boys- who wants to go first?" Brooke cheerfully questioned the Scott brothers after they all finished eating dinner, receiving non-coherent grumbles in response. She had actually gone through the trouble of bringing three white sheets from home, with which she was currently covering three packets of clothing that she placed, each on a separate chair.

"You guys are such babies!" Brooke rolled her eyes and exclaimed when neither guy volunteered for the task, "Fine, I'll decide- Nathan, you're first!" she declared, receiving an unhappy look from the young brother.

"Oh man! Why do I have to go first?" he all but whined, causing Jamie and the three ladies in the room to laugh slightly.

"Because this was your brilliant idea!" Brooke replied contently, and as if that wasn't enough, cheerfully added, "And because you, my friend, have two sets of clothing to model!" she announced, causing Nathan's head to sink into his hands.

"Alright… Let's get this over with…" Nathan grouchily said, rising to his feet to the applause of those present, much to his embarrassment.

"That's the spirit!" Brooke perkily told his as he came up to her, his face wearing a huge, discontented frown. "Alright, hot-shot… first of all, just so you won't have any excuses- I present you with…" Brooke suspended the revelation of her first creation, causing Nathan to look at her with expectance and slight concern, "A cool superhero cape!" she announced, pulling the sheet off of the chair in the middle and revealing a blue cape with a big "N" on its back.

"Cool!" Jamie exclaimed with genuine thrill as his father smiled with relief, picking the cape from the chair and wearing it proudly, marching back and forth in the living room to the applause of his friends and family.

"This is actually really nice, Brooke!" Nathan complimented, causing Brooke to smile gladly.

"Why, thank you, Nate…" she gleefully said, proud to see how he was showing off her work, "I think that it's time for a clothing change, though…" she said, causing Nathan to shrug, but Lucas to look at her with mortification.

"This is for you, Nate…" she handed him one of the wrapped up packets of clothing and gestured for him to go and change into them in the other room. As soon as he left, Brooke approached Lucas with the second packet, "And this, Broody-boy, is for you…" she handed him the last packet, motioning with her head for him to go and try the unseen clothes on.

"Do I really have to?" Lucas groaned like a little boy, causing Brooke's dimpled smirk to reappear as she nodded, "I can't believe this…" he mumbled as he walked away with the closed bag, causing Jamie, Rachel, Haley and Brooke to laugh at his childlike behavior.

Ten seconds later, the four of them heard Nathan calling out with surprise from the room he had gone to, and quickly afterwards Lucas' relieved laughter could be heard as well.

"Brooke, what have you done to them?" Haley quizzically looked at Brooke, who was laughing to herself with enjoyment.

"Oh, you'll see in a second…" she promised, "Are you ready, boys?" she asked after several moments, receiving two positive replies from the Scott brothers.

"Alright then…" she said, walking over to close the shutters of the living room and dimming the lights to create a different atmosphere to the room. Right after she covered the windows, Brooke was almost certain that she could hear something rattling in the bushes near the window, but forced herself to keep her calm, not wanting to show any signs of weakness on her first day of renewed independence. She took a deep breath and forced a smile, telling herself that she must have simply heard the wind, before turning around and truly managing to regain her confidence. Clearing her throat dramatically and winking at Jamie playfully, Brooke began to announce.

"From the creator of _Clothes over Bros'_ I am glad to present you with a brand new line… Nathan, Lucas- please come out!" she theatrically invited them, causing Rachel, Haley and Jamie's jaws to drop with surprise upon seeing Nathan and Lucas dressed in fashionable men's clothing, "Those designs that you can see right here are the first rough-cut samples on my brand new line- _Clothes __**for **__Bros'_, a new line targeted at a whole new market, which _Clothes over Bros'_ has so far been dismissing" Brooke professionally explained as Nathan and Lucas strode across the living room, pleased with the nice surprise and the stylish new look that Brooke had given them.

"Those look really awesome, Brooke" Haley praised Brooke's work, truly admiring the wonderful hand-made clothes that her talented friend had made.

"Just so you know- we plan to keep those!" Nathan announced on behalf of himself and Lucas, causing Lucas to nod agreeably.

"Fine… But just so _you'll_ know- both of you are gonna model these and more during my next board meeting, when I kick Victoria's butt" Brooke made a term of her own, causing both boys to nod in agreement.

"It's a deal!" Lucas said, glad that he could help Brooke with her troubles with her company, even without knowing exactly what they were about.

When Jamie suddenly tried to hide a yawn into his palm, but got caught by all the adults before him, Haley and Nathan suddenly looked at the clock and realized how late it was.

"I think it's time for someone to go to bed…" Nathan smiled at his son and lifted him up in the air, carefully tossing him onto his shoulder.

"But I'm not… tired…" Jamie protested, yawning once again and causing Brooke and Lucas to laugh and look at the little boy fondly.

"Listen to your daddy, little man…" Lucas told his nephew, ruffling his hair affectionately.

"Bye, best boy ever!" Brooke came up to her godson and, standing on her toes in order to reach Nathan's shoulder, to which he was currently pressed, gave Jamie's cheek a big kiss, "I'll see you again soon" she promised Jamie and smiled at him reassuringly as he waved to her while being taken upstairs.

"This was really nice, Haley…" Rachel honestly said, causing Haley to nod her head at her appreciatively. Both of them were glad that they had been able to get over their differences and come to a new understanding.

"It really was, Hales… Thanks for everything…" Brooke said, referring not only to the meal and evening that they had just shared, but for the entire period of time during which they had lived together for her sake.

"You're welcome… Both of you…" Haley warmly smiled at both girls, glad that she had managed to make a new friend and help an old friend back to her feet.

The three girls and Lucas walked up to the door, bidding Haley, and then Nathan, who had returned downstairs, goodbye, afterwards walking over to the driveway.

"Do you need a ride home?" Lucas offered when they reached his car.

"My car's right over there, so we're fine…" Brooke smiled at Lucas politely.

"Didn't you want to swing by _Tric_ to talk to Owen, though?" Rachel spoke out just when Lucas was about to turn around and go to his car. She remembered Brooke telling her how she felt like she owed Owen an apology for speaking to him harshly the day before. Rachel had even attempted to convince Brooke to let her come along, as she didn't want Brooke to be in the club by herself again, after what had happened to her there, but Brooke wasn't willing to even consider to allow Rachel into a bar, where the temptations she was forbidden to be near would be surrounding her.

"I'll drop you off and head there afterwards. It's no big deal…" Brooke tried to tell Rachel, but the detour that she would have to make in order to do that made no sense to Lucas or Rachel.

"Brooke, your house is on my way… Why don't I drop Rachel off?" Lucas proposed, causing Brooke to hesitate before she nodded.

"Yeah… O.K…." she finally agreed, realizing that Rachel would be safe with Lucas and that she could return home sooner with this arrangement. "Thanks, Luke" she expressed her gratitude, coming up to him and giving him a friendly hug.

"Anytime, Brooke…" Lucas smiled and said, pressing her small form to his strong one for a long, secure hug. The two of them continued holding each other for several moments, each enjoying the feeling of the other's warm, comforting form. When they finally drew apart, Rachel looked at them with a wide smirk, yet refrained from saying anything. She watched Brooke walking over to her car silently, yet already knew for certain that her brunette friend had a truly deep, undeniable connection with the blond boy who was currently standing by her side, watching over Brooke as she approached her car.

Left alone all of a sudden, Brooke felt slightly uneasy suddenly walking over to her car on her own and driving away solely, as Rachel and Lucas turned to the opposite direction, yet took a deep breath and forced herself to be strong.

_"Everything's gonna be fine"_ she said to herself in her heart, pulling herself together with all of the courage she could muster. Brooke kept telling herself that nothing would happen and that she would be perfectly fine alone, but didn't know that she wasn't quite alone- that there had been someone watching over her at Nathan and Haley's house, who was currently following her car in the path that she drove. She didn't realize that this very person would make her, once again, regret her decision to let herself handle things on her own…

* * *

**AN: I know, I know... I'm being mean both to Brooke for putting more troubles in her path when she is finally back to herself, and also to you guys with another evil cliffhanger... Don't hate me though- I promise that you will get all the drama you deserve next time (and I mean big time now!!) including answers to who is following Brooke and what will happen when she encounters this person. It could be really awesome to hear what you thought about this chapter- whether you liked it, if it was too long and any other thoughts that you had, as your reviews are keeping this story alive! **

**This is all until next time! ;-)**


	22. Chapter 22

**Hi guys! I had been hoping to update sooner, but as you will be able to see- this chapter is really long, and I mean SUPER long (as in what should be two chapters lengthwise, but in terms of the idea of what is happening, made sense as one unit). I really hope that you'll be patient enough to read the whole thing- I guarantee that the drama I promised is beginning to be provided here, as well as more Brucas interaction- so please bear with the length and read the entire chapter if you can. I worked really hard on this one, so i would really like to know what you thought! ;-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 22**

"Is Owen in tonight?" Brooke made her way through the masses of figures, who were dancing to the blaring music, and questioned the bartender on duty. She had been trying to shake off the strange feeling that was whirling inside of her ever since she had left Nathan and Haley's house and only now, when she was surrounded by the people of Tree Hill, did she feel like her nerves had calmed down slightly.

"Only in ten minutes, gorgeous" the bartender replied, smirking at her suggestively, "How about a drink until he comes?" he offered, continuing to eye the brunette beauty before him with delight.

"No, thanks…" Brooke replied before he could pour her anything, remembering all too clearly the outcome of the previous time she had allowed herself to be tempted into giving in to the power of alcohol.

"Suit yourself…" the man shrugged, yet maintained a wide grin, "I'll be here if you change your mind…" he told her, winking at her and then walking over to other costumers and getting busy with them, leaving Brooke to wait on her own.

Taking a seat on a barstool and turning around so she was facing the dance floor, Brooke sighed to herself pensively. It had been such a long time since she had allowed herself to have a carefree night full of dancing, drinking and laughter. It felt as if she had to act more maturely than that and deprive herself of the youthful activity, which had been the only way she had known to have fun when she had been younger and which only now she was actually legally allowed to be involved in. Looking at the young adults having a good time before her, and taking note in the fact that a large portion of them actually looked older than her, Brooke couldn't help but admit to herself that she missed partying worrilessly like them, without a care on her mind. She knew that she should be grateful for the good day she just had, but a young couple dancing before her and giggling giddily at each other like two fools suddenly reminded her of herself and of Lucas when they had been head over heels in love with each other during high school. Brooke simply couldn't help but miss that magical time, during which she had given her heart to the blond boy she had fallen for and felt more loved than she ever felt in her life. As she watched the dancing boy gently kissing the girl's neck and causing her to giggle with pleasure, Brooke smiled nostalgically and got caught in those thoughts of the past, when things had been so much simpler. She would have given everything in order to go back to that time, when her mother wasn't trying to dominate her clothing company and designing was just a fresh, fun thing she would do, when a psycho attacker had yet to scar her soul, and most importantly- when the only boy she had ever loved made her feel like the most special girl in the world.

As the dancing couple before her began to whisper into each others' ears with intimacy, Brooke became completely swept away into the thoughts of her past, drifting back to a certain private moment she had shared with Lucas after the school shooting, when they had gone together to heal in Rachel's cabin. She remembered how they had spent an entire night of soft whispers, with Lucas sharing his pain and shedding wet drops of grief and with her wiping away his tears and quietly crying ones of her own as she soothed him with comforting words. She could never forget how she had kissed him to sleep and had woken up the next morning to the feeling of his arms tightening around her body and to him whispering into her skin that he loved her more than anything in the world. Even though Brooke knew that this time was over, she couldn't bring herself to rid her memory of it and despite the fact that it had been a difficult, painful time, Brooke truly cherished those moments, in which she felt so close to Lucas' inner soul that it was almost as though they had become one. That weekend had definitely been one of the memories she kept closest to her heart, and even now, when she knew she shouldn't be foolishly allowing herself to sink back into the thoughts of that time, she just couldn't help herself.

Brooke smiled to herself distantly, recalling the meaningful heart to heart conversation she and Lucas had held. She was so intensely trapped inside her own world, that she truly wasn't paying attention to her surroundings and most certainly didn't notice the two people that were currently looking at her from two separate sides of the club. She didn't even realize it when one of them started walking towards her and reached her from behind, as she was still looking at the dancing couple with a faint and far-away smile on her face. Only when this man put his large hand on her shoulder did Brooke finally become aware of this person's presence, and as her eyes widened and her heart dropped due to the panic she was suddenly filled with, Brooke couldn't help but let out a frightened scream…

* * *

The drive from Haley and Nathan's apartment began as a silent awkward one for Rachel and Lucas, even though, unbeknownced to either one of them, they were both thinking of the same subject, or rather- person; Brooke Davis. Neither one of them wanted to say it, but even though she had been vivacious and strong as she used to be during that past day, they both didn't like the idea of allowing Brooke to return to the club alone after what had happened to her the previous time she had been there. Lucas truly didn't want to worry Rachel, and Rachel really didn't desire to push Lucas back into Brooke's life after all the tears she had seen Brooke crying because of him, but each one of them realized separately that they wouldn't be able to rest with the dimpled brunette out there on her own.

It was Rachel who broke down first, realizing that her care for her best friend's wellbeing definitely overpowered her desire to keep Lucas away from her.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I need you to go to _Tric_ and keep an eye on Brooke after you drop me off…" Rachel told him with a sigh, knowing that her decision might make Brooke uneasy, but caring much more about her safety than about her discomfort.

Lucas stared at her for a moment, slightly shocked that she was actually asking him to do exactly what he, himself, wanted to do, and not the exact opposite, but quickly overcame his surprise as he noticed Rachel's eyes looking at him expectantly.

"That's just what I was going to do anyway…" he confessed, glancing at Rachel for a quick moment and shooting her a reassuring smile before he returned his attention to the road. He truly didn't want to worry Rachel over nothing, even though he, himself, felt quite uneasy about letting Brooke go to the bar on her own.

"I would do it myself, it's just that… Me and bars don't really go together nowadays…" Rachel admitted, slightly lowering her head in shame as she attempted at joking about the matter, but Lucas could tell how hard it was for her to acknowledge that she couldn't be there for Brooke due to the problems of her recent past.

"Don't be ashamed… You've been a great friend to Brooke, Rachel, and I would be doing this even if you wouldn't have said anything" he honestly said to her, causing Rachel to smile with gratitude due to the kind way he was treating her.

The duo continued driving in silence for a few moments, this time no longer feeling awkward one around the other, but actually enjoying the new understanding that they had managed to reach. It was truly peaceful on the car, until Rachel, once again, couldn't keep her words to herself.

"If you hurt her again, Lucas, I swear that I will smack you across your face" Rachel vowed, causing Lucas to laugh, partially from the humor in her voice, but partially from the knowledge that she was actually dead serious.

"Trust me- I won't!" Lucas promised, remembering all too vividly just how much Rachel's slap had hurt him the previous time she caught him causing Brooke to cry.

"If I see _one_ tear in her eyes, I promise you- you're gonna get hurt!" Rachel sincerely threatened, wanting to stress just how serious she was.

"I believe you… You hit really hard for a girl…" Lucas truthfully said, finally causing Rachel to smile wholeheartedly.

"You haven't seen anything yet, and as long as Brooke is happy, you're not going to" Rachel set the terms, causing Lucas to nod with agreement.

"Fair enough…" he said, actually glad to see how many people had Brooke's back, even if it meant that a few threats were sent his way, because that way he was ascertained that she was well cared for. As he noticed Rachel sighing with tension from the corner of his eye, Lucas felt the need to calm the redhead's nerves.

"Hey…" he said to her gently, causing Rachel's gaze to avert back to him, "I'm sure that Brooke is just fine…" he calmingly said, causing Rachel to nod in the hopes that he was right. Only when she shifted her eyes away from him and over to the window, though, did Lucas allow part of his true concern to seep back onto his features, as despite what he had just told Rachel, a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach was telling him that he should have never let Brooke out of his sight…

* * *

She could feel her body freezing in its place as the masculine palm that tightly held her shoulder maintained its firm grasp on her body. She knew that she should start fighting against this man or at least make some gesture of distress so that someone would come to help her, but after she had let out a short scream which blending in with all the noise in the bar and went by unnoticed, Brooke felt as though she had become paralyzed. She truly couldn't believe that she was once again helpless against the strong grip of a man, but no sound came out of her mouth and her body couldn't move at all. Feeling completely powerless, Brooke could sense her body beginning to tremble involuntarily, giving away her vulnerability. She closed her eyes and could feel the tears starting to rise up her throat, as she realized she had just showed the man that he would be able to do whatever he wanted with her, as she was too scared to fight against him, and just when she thought that her nightmare was about to start all over again, Brooke was surprised to feel the man's hand peeling itself from her shoulder.

"Brooke?" she could hear the masculine voice of the man behind her calling out for her with concern, and when she recognized it, she was finally able to move herself and turned around to face Owen.

The moment he saw how her big hazel eyes were clouded with unushered tears, Owen's frown immediately deepened.

"Are you O.K.?" he worriedly asked, standing close enough to her in order to help her feel protected, but remaining from touching her in fear that she would burst crying if he would do so.

Still slightly shaken up, but now finally freed of the frozen state she had suffered from, Brooke managed to nod her head and mumble a soft "I'm fine", while pushing her tears away.

"Did anything happen?" Owen further pressed, his voice remaining tense, as he was still concerned about the small brunette before him. He really didn't want to make the same mistake he had made the previous time she had come to the club and was obviously distressed, when he had chosen to dismiss her state and allowed her to get out of control. He therefore continued eyeing her carefully, his gaze only losing its intensity when Brooke finally spoke again.

"Nothing happened, you just startled me…" Brooke honestly said, causing Owen to nod understandingly.

"I'm sorry…" he apologized, immediately receiving a slight nod from Brooke as well, as if telling him that it was alright.

"Come on… Let's get you some water…" Owen suggested, offering his hand to Brooke in an attempt to reach out to her. If he wouldn't have noticed how stiff Brooke's body still was and how it still continued to tremble slightly, he would have instinctively pulled her into his secure grasp, yet considering her state, Owen wasn't sure that this would be the right way to handle things. He was proven right soon enough, when Brooke didn't take his hand and slightly shrugged away from him.

"I'm really fine, Owen" she insisted, unable to mask the slight tension that she still felt, even after understanding that the person touching her had meant no harm.

"Brooke, come on… Why don't you give me your keys and let me take you home…" Owen kindly suggested, "It's really clear that you're not comfortable in here" he gently pointed out, not wanting to embarrass Brooke, but feeling that making sure that she was safe was much more important.

Brooke, however, was determined to prove to herself that she was alright again. She had managed to somewhat calm down, and even though Owen's suggestion made sense to her, she needed to feel like she could take care of herself on her own.

"I'll be alright, Owen" she declined his offer, causing Owen's shoulders to sag with defeat. He suddenly realized that she might still be angry at him for accidently inviting Rachel for a drink and for everything that had gone wrong between the two of them, and that Brooke might have actually come to the club with a date, and that he was disturbing her.

"O.K…. I'm really sorry I bothered you, Brooke" Owen finally gave up and genuinely apologized for everything, turning his back to Brooke and starting to walk away from her.

"Wait…" Brooke immediately called after him, causing Owen to stop and immediately return to Brooke side, thinking that she might have changed her mind about him helping her to return home safely.

"I actually came here to talk to you" she said, causing Owen's face to fill with surprise. When he saw how Brooke was looking at him expectantly, hoping that he would hear her out, Owen nodded.

"Come on… Let's go to the office, where it's quieter…" he offered, wanting to give Brooke a fair chance to speak. After she nodded, Owen instinctively took Brooke's hand, not wanting to lose her as they paved their way among the crowds, and to his surprise- not only did Brooke allow him to do so this time, but she actually closed her fingers around his hand as well. He didn't know if she did that because of the same reasons as him or whether she was actually seeking a feeling of security, but he made sure to keep Brooke close to him and to hold her hand tightly as the two of them crossed the club. Neither of them could ever realize it at the moment, but his action was currently providing Brooke with safety from the very same person who had been watching her ever since she had entered the club, and was still looking directly at her, slightly advancing in her direction in order to keep her in eyesight, and simply waiting for the right moment to make a move…

* * *

"What did you want to talk to me about?" Owen asked with interest, still unable to decide whether Brooke was about to yell at him or confide in him. It was clear that something was bothering her, and Owen was still unable to tell whether it was him she was blaming for her discomfort, or whether she had actually come to share her feelings with him. He promised himself to allow Brooke to let out whatever she needed to, as she deserved that, considering the way their relationship had come to an end, but when Brooke actually replied, he was utterly shocked.

"I owe you an apology…" Brooke said, fidgeting with her fingers as her eyes traveled from his face to the floor and back. He definitely wasn't expecting that.

"I'm sorry… What?" Owen questioned in shock, almost certain that he had heard Brooke incorrectly, and that she was waiting for him to apologize to her, something that he would consider to be fair enough.

"It was truly wrong of me to use information that you confided in me against you, so I'm really sorry, Owen- I didn't mean to be that childish. I guess I just wasn't thinking…" she confessed, unable to look Owen in the eye. When he began to laugh, however, her head immediately shot up and a mixture of confusion and slight anger entered her eyes. She really couldn't believe that after she had made the effort to come to the club, wait for Owen and tell him that she was sorry, he would actually dare to laugh at her.

"Why are you laughing at me?" when Owen continued laughing, Brooke couldn't help but question, the slight hurt in her voice causing Owen to stop chuckling immediately.

"I'm not laughing at you, Brooke, I'm laughing at myself" he explained, causing her expression to become void of anger and only full of confusion, "I thought that you came here to yell at me…" he explained, but when the confusion still remained on Brooke's face, he came closer to her and began to gently speak.

"Look- I admit that your words hit home back when you said them, because I wasn't expecting you to throw them at my face" he began, causing Brooke to lower her head in shame, "But after I calmed down a little, I realized that you were right and that I deserved being put in that place" Owen admitted, causing Brooke to look up at him hesitantly. "Listen- your expectance of me to be more sensitive to this topic was appropriate and I know that you didn't mean to be harsh and were only trying to look after your friend, so you really don't have to apologize to me. If anything- _I_ should be the one telling _you_ that I'm sorry…" Owen honestly said.

"I'm still sorry about how it came out, though…" Brooke couldn't help but apologize one last time, wanting Owen to see how sincere her words were.

"Well, you are forgiven, Brooke Davis" Owen lightly grinned at her and said, finally managing to put a smile on Brooke's face, "I just hope you forgive me too…" he said, searching Brooke's eyes for a sign of forgiveness. Much to his delight, Brooke nodded her head at him approvingly.

"Good, so I guess we're even now…" Owen dared to assume, yet an idea suddenly entered Brooke's head, causing her to smirk playfully.

"Not yet… I need you to do one small thing for me, and then we'll definitely be even" she said, putting a worried expression on Owen's face.

"I'm listening…" he said, not wanting to promise Brooke anything until he heard her words, as the mischievous grin on her face made him suspicious about her intentions.

"Well, if you will be willing to model for my new line-"

"Forget it!" Owen didn't even allow Brooke to finish her sentence and quickly replied. That was where he drew the line.

"Oh, relax… It's a new men's line, Owen" she calmed him. When Owen was still contemplating his decision, Brooke drew her secret weapon and childishly pouted at him, "Please… I really need to kick ass in this presentation, so I can show my board that I can run my company without Victoria" she explained, looking at him with big puppy eyes, which she knew he could never refuse to.

"Oh, alright…" Owen couldn't find it in him to say no to her, "But you'd better not make me look ridiculous!" he warned, causing Brooke to clap her hands joyfully and wear a victorious smile.

"Don't worry, Owen, I'll make you so hot, that Rachel wouldn't be able to resist you…" she winked, causing Owen to smirk and, upon realizing how mischievously Brooke was looking at him, to blush and start tripping over his own tongue.

"Well… I'm not… I'm sure that Rachel…" he couldn't even form a sentence that would express his denial to the obvious fact that he liked Brooke's redheaded friend.

"Relax, Owen, I'm totally fine with it" Brooke surprised Owen and said, leaving him completely speechless. He truly didn't expect the girl he had disappointed when they were dating to actually give him her blessing to start going out with one of her best friends. However, as he was still searching for words in his mind, which seemed to go blank, Brooke spoke again, clarifying her actions to him, "I really think that you're a good guy, and the fact that it didn't work out between us didn't change my opinion on that, so if you like Rachel, I think that it's cool for you to go out. However, if you do anything that will hurt Rachel and make me change my mind about the good guy I think you are, I swear I'm gonna make you pay…" Brooke sincerely told Owen, finally enabling him to elicit a sound out of his mouth.

"Don't worry, Brooke…" he reassured her, yet Brooke wanted to give Owen one last warning.

"And no offering her to drink or to party, Owen. I'm really serious about this…" Brooke stressed, looking at him with serious eyes.

"Don't worry, Brooke. I know" he answered, not only telling her that he understood how important the matter was to her, but also showing her how sincerely he was taking it.

"O.K…. I'd better let you get to work…" Brooke smiled at him, suddenly remembering that Owen was supposed to start his shift when he had arrived at the club.

"It's fine, Brooke… Rick can wait until I get you back home…" Owen told her, knowing that the bartender on duty was completely capable to handle things on his own for another half an hour.

"I can really drive myself, Owen" Brooke argued, needed to reestablish her capability to be strong and independent.

"Alright… But at least let me walk you to your car" Owen asked her. Seeing how jumpy she had been when he first reached her, he wanted to make sure that she got into her car safely, as he didn't know what had gotten her so stressed out in the first place.

"O.K…." Brooke smiled at him, willing to accept the simple gentlemanly gesture.

"Let me just tell Rick that it'll be another few minutes before I start my shift… Wait for me next to the stage, alright?" Owen asked, receiving a consenting nod from Brooke. Smiling at her, Owen walked away and left Brooke alone in his office.

Brooke watched after Owen and smiled to herself contently. She was glad that she had managed to put her relationship with Owen back on friendly terms and that she had proven to herself that she could depend on herself again. Even as she stepped back into the club and felt a slight tug in her heart as she saw the dancing couple she had been watching before sharing a kiss, Brooke convinced herself to look at the many bright sides of the day she just had. She smiled to herself as she thought back to the fashion show she had with the Scott brothers and to the warm responses she had received to her new handmade designs.

When she suddenly felt someone wrapping his arms around her waist from behind and slinking one of them up her figure, Brooke momentarily froze, but then reminded herself that Owen was supposed to return to her side.

"Save the dirty dancing for Rachel, Owen…" Brooke joked and tried to turn around, yet the strong arms that held her tightened their grasp on her.

"What's with the groping, Owen?" she teased, yet felt herself starting to panic as the man behind her pressed her with even more strength to his large figure, his one hand pinning her waist to his body and the other wrapping around her neck, in what looked to the outsider like a hug, but was actually making it difficult for Brooke to breathe. She all of a sudden realized that the man that was holding onto her most certainly wasn't Owen.

"Let go of me!" Brooke demanded in a strained voice, feeling how the man was blocking her airways, yet only causing him to strengthen his grip.

"Shut up and listen to me!" he roughly demanded, his hands savagely digging into her delicate skin as she wiggled against him, trying to run away, "If you don't want to find yourself in a hospital again, Miss Davis, you'd better stop working in your store and leave your company in the hands of the person to whom it really belongs!" he spoke into her ear with force, his hands closing around her neck and forcing her to start gasping for air. By now, she was able to recognize the person behind her, and was certain that he had been the man who had attacked her in her store, and it suddenly hit her that he had basically confessed that Victoria was behind both this attempt and the previous one to hurt her. Knowing that she couldn't lose her senses, though, Brooke didn't sink into the hurt and fear that were trying to overpower her and continued attempting to escape from the man's arms, knowing all too well that he was completely capable of harming her badly.

"Leave me alone!" Brooke told the man as she fought against him, but the more she struggled, the more force he was using on her and the harder he was making it for her to breathe. Brooke desperately looked around her, trying to signal to someone that she was in need of help, yet nobody seemed to be looking her way and with the tight grip the large man behind her had on her, she was certain that her movements against him must make it look like they were simply dancing.

"I think that you know by now that I will not hesitate to hurt you" the guy chuckled as Brooke began struggling more and more to be able to fill her lungs with oxygen, "So I'll give you one last warning- you will stop making all those little designs of yours- or you'll be very sorry…" he threatened, his hand pressing even harder against Brooke's neck, causing her to become truly lightheaded, as she was incapable of inhaling anything.

"Let… go… can't… breathe…" she wheezed out a whisper, already feeling her body starting to go limp. As she heard the guy above her laughing to himself, she put in all the strength she could muster and tried once again to slip out of his grasp, before it would be too late.

"You know that you're powerless against me…" he chuckled, having a kick out of the sight of the chanceless fight she was putting up.

"Help… Hel..p!" Brooke whispered with the last ounce of her strength. She could feel how her attacker's rough fingers were plowing into her neck's skin, creating a barrier between the supply of oxygen and her airways, which were in desperate need of it. Telling herself that she couldn't give up as long as she was still conscious, Brooke tried her best to squirm in the man's arms, even though she knew that her chances to escape him in her current state were slim to none.

"No one can hear you" the guy taunted Brooke, "You can't get away from me, and even if you could- I would find you…" he told Brooke, who was gasping for air in small, shallow breaths, as she began to see dark specks in space and felt her head spinning around, "I know where you live, I know where you work, and I know who your friends are, so you can't escape me. I've been watching every step that you've been making, so if you value your life- you will stop trying to make a comeback at _Clothes over Bros'_" he warned coldly, with no emotion in his voice, as Brooke went limper in his arms, her wheezing breaths growing weaker and weaker.

"Hel…p…" her soft voice delicately left her mouth as she made one final attempt at battling against him, already starting to feel herself slipping into unconsciousness. She realized she was, once again, too weak to win the battle against him, and just when she thought she had lost, she could suddenly feel the brutal grasp on her neck loosening. When the man suddenly drew away from her, Brooke stumbled forwards, her legs too shaky to hold her up, and landed in the arms of a partier, who had been dancing in front of her.

"Are you alright?" the young man, who by now stopped dancing, looked at Brooke with concern, needing to hold her up in order to keep her from falling to the ground. She wanted to respond and tell him what had happened, but she couldn't even breathe, let alone find her voice.

"Was this man harassing you?" Brooke could suddenly hear someone questioning from above her. With great effort, she raised her head to see two of the club's security guards looking at her with serious expressions in their eyes, holding her attacker in a strong grip. Still unable to make a sound, Brooke simply nodded her head, fighting against her harmed airways in an attempt to breathe properly.

"O.K…. You're coming with us, mister…" the two security-guards shoved Brooke's attacker along with them, one of them notifying the police of what had happened as they walked towards the club's exit.

"Miss, are you O.K.?" the guy who was still stabilizing Brooke tried communicating with her once again, worried that she still hadn't said a word and seemed to be having trouble breathing.

Unable to say a word and only now allowing what happened to sink in, Brooke shook her head as tears filled her eyes. She was not O.K.. In fact, she was far from O.K..

"Is someone here with you?" the young man urgently asked, thinking that someone who Brooke knew might have more success helping her out and calming her down.

"O… wen… the… bar… ten…"

"I know who Owen is, it's O.K." the man told her as he noticed how tough it was for her to speak, "Come on… Can you walk with me to him?" he gently asked, receiving a nod from Brooke in response.

With tears streaming down her face and shaking legs, Brooke slowly advanced towards the bar, supported by the young man by her side. As the attacker's words swirled in her head and the feeling of pain started to throb in her sore, swollen neck, which had been numb so far, Brooke suddenly felt even more short of air.

"Miss?" the gentleman by her side immediately noticed her worsening condition and looked at her tensely.

"Can't… breathe…" Brooke struggled to speak, now fully hyperventilating and fighting a true battle against her cramped neck in desperate attempts to fill her suffocating lungs again.

"Hey… You're gonna be fine… Alright?" the man tried to tell her, attempting at calming both her and also himself, yet Brooke was overpowered by the wave of panic that washed over her.

"I… can't… brea… the…" she cried, her breaths unhealthily hitching in her throat and speeding up into a potentially harmful pace.

"Listen, miss… We're gonna get you to Owen and he will take you to the hospital, and you'll be just fine, alright?" the guy made an effort to soothe Brooke, yet upon hearing him mention the word 'hospital', Brooke grew even more alarmed than before.

"No… I… can't…. plea… se…" she tried to say, yet the only thing that came out clearly was her difficulty to inhale oxygen, causing the man before her to become truly nervous about the state she seemed to be lapsing into. He was just about to try and speak more calming words to Brooke, when Owen suddenly appeared at their side, pulling Brooke away from him and into his own arms.

"What the hell did you do to her?!" Owen asked in rage as he looked at the brunette girl, who had been smiling cheerfully minutes earlier and was now in such a devastating state- crying and hyperventilating as if someone had given her a blow.

"He… didn't… I'm… not…" Brooke tried to explain through her sobs and pants, yet the young man who had been trying to take care of her cut into her speech, realizing that she was in no state to explain things to Owen.

"Look, it's wasn't me… Some other guy tried to hurt her. I was just trying to help…" he explained, the genuine expression on his face and the broken fragments of Brooke's sentence making Owen believe him and look at him apologetically.

"Sorry, man" he said, tightening his grip on Brooke's unstable form, "Thanks for helping her out…" Owen expressed his gratitude shortly, wanting to tend to Brooke.

"Is there else anything I can do to help?" the young man asked, truly wanting to assist the flustered brunette in Owen's arms.

"I've got her now, it's fine… Thanks again… You can go to the bar and have a drink on me…" Owen said, wanting to show the man his appreciation. He looked at him briefly, giving him a reassuring nod, before returning his attention back to Brooke.

"O… wen…" she hoarsely cried, tears rapidly streaming down her face as she continued taking sharp breaths.

"I'm right here, Brooke, it's alright…" he tried to reassure, but when her strangled sobs continued to stumble out of her mouth, his face furrowed into a frown. It was clear to him that something awful had happened in the several minutes that he had left Brooke alone, and he realized that if he truly wanted to help her, he needed to find out what it was.

"Brooke, can you tell me what happened to you?" Owen questioned a tearful Brooke, his hands supporting her entire weight, as her legs were completely limp by now.

"I… he… hurt…" Brooke truly couldn't form a coherent sentence in her state. Not only did was her neck sore and swollen up, but she seemed to be drifting into a panic attack, which worsened the breathless state she was already in due to the condition of her throat. She really needed something stable to hold onto, yet Owen wasn't providing her with the solid group she so desperately sought, as he was busy trying to figure out what had gotten her in her current state.

"Someone hurt you?" Owen questioned, receiving a nod from Brooke, which caused his eyes to fill with true anger. When he saw the abused state of her neck, he was truly seeing red, as he was fuming upon thinking that some bastard had laid his hands on her.

"Brooke, can you tell me who did this?" Owen tightly held onto her arms and questioned with great stress, wanting to punch the life out of whoever dared to harm the small brunette before him. When Brooke just cried harder, his strong grip on her only further stimulating her panic attack and lack of oxygen in her lungs, Owen became even more furious at the person who had hurt her like that.

"Who was it, Brooke?" he demanded to know, his eyes trained on her as her chest heaved as she took acute, sharp breaths, tears still streaming down her face.

Brooke felt so helpless, she just started crying harder, the effort she was putting into breathing and sobbing causing her to become truly dizzy. She wasn't even completely sure what was going on around her, as her vision blurred and cleared up sporadically and she seemed to be terrorized by the thoughts of her attacker so much, that she wasn't really there with Owen, but when she suddenly saw Lucas stepping into the club, she felt as though a life-vest had been thrown her way.

"Lu… cas…" she pronounced his name with great effort, crying and wheezing as she begged for him to come and make her feel safe again, yet Lucas was too far away to hear her, and Owen, who did hear what she said, thought that she had just given him the response to who had harmed her minutes earlier.

"Lucas did this to you?!" he questioned in anger, his eyes following her tear-filled ones and seeing the blond man making his way over to the bar.

"Lu… cas…" she cried, her voice pleading with him to come and save her from it all, yet simply causing Owen to lose any self control he had over himself. Pulling Brooke along with him, as he was driven fully by his rage, Owen approached the bar, where Lucas just arrived.

"What the hell have you done?!" Owen screamed at him, ready to wring his neck, when, much to his surprise, Brooke threw herself into Lucas' arms and started sobbing uncontrollably, incoherently speaking into his shirt as she tried explaining to him what had happened through her tears and gasps for air.

"What's going on in here? Brooke, what happened??" Lucas anxiously asked, averting his gaze from the confused bartender to the trembling girl in his grasp.

"You don't know what happened??" Owen asked with disbelief and bewilderment, not understanding how Lucas could manage to look so genuinely surprised by the situation after he had thought Brooke had said that he had been the one to cause it.

"No, man- I just got here…" Lucas glanced at Owen with confusion briefly, before returning his attention to the girl who was falling apart right before him "Brooke, can you tell me what's going on, babe?"

"Lu… cas… I… can't… brea… the…" Brooke sobbed into his neck, truly alarming him as he understood how bad things were.

"We need to get her out of here" Lucas told Owen with urgency, "Is there anywhere I can take her where there will be no other people?" he tensely questioned as he secured his grip on Brooke and began rubbing her back up and down soothingly.

"Go to my office… It's open and no one's there…" Owen instructed Lucas, receiving a nod from him, "Do you know what's wrong with her?" he worriedly questioned.

"She's having a panic attack" Lucas tersely explained, Brooke's trembling body and hyperventilating making it clear to him that he needed to act fast "Look- can you get her something to drink? Non-alcoholic…" Lucas asked and made sure to specify his request, causing Owen to nod with approval and vanish in the bar's area as he quickly lifted Brooke up in his arms and practically raced over to Owen's office.

"Lucas… I… can't… b… brea… the…" Brooke continued mumbling through her pants and whimpers as soon as Lucas sat her down on Owen's desk.

"I know, baby, but you're gonna be fine, alright?" Lucas held her face in one hand, supporting her body with the other, and trying to make Brooke see him, yet her eyes wore a terrified, distant expression, clarifying for him that she wasn't really there with him.

"Brooke, I need you to look at me, babe" he instructed, seeing how she was desperately trying to follow his directions, yet still dominated by panic.

"Listen to me…" Lucas softly spoke into her face, "You're gonna be alright, Brooke… I'm right here with you and I won't let anything happen to you, alright?" he promised, holding her in a straight sitting position with one hand and using the other to stroke her hair gently as she continued crying and hyperventilating.

"It… hurts…" Brooke sobbed, struggling for air and truly breaking Lucas' heart. He didn't even know what was hurting her, but the mere fact that she seemed to be in pain was truly killing him.

"I know, baby, but I'm right here… I've got you, babe, but I need you to breathe for me, alright?" he gently asked her, looking deeply into her wandering eyes, finally managing to draw her into his gaze, and bringing her palm to his lips and kissing it softly.

"Lu… cas…" she whimpered, her breaths still coming out as strained wheezes despite her attempts to follow Lucas' guidance.

"I'm right here, baby girl" he soothingly told her, "But you've gotta breathe for me… Come on…" he took her small trembling palm into his masculine one, not losing eye contact even for a moment, and placing her hand on his chest, "Do it with me, Brooke" he asked her, demonstrating how he wanted her to take deep breaths, "In… and now out…" he spoke and inhaled and exhaled according to his own instructions, keeping his eyes on hers at all times, relieved to see that he was finally managing to get through to her, yet knowing that he needed to continue guiding her some more until he would be able to completely pull her out of the terrified state she was in. "Yeah, just like that, Brooke…" he encouraged her, smiling slightly while continuing to direct Brooke, "Breathe… and out… good… Now in again…" he inhaled, glad to see her finally taking shaky, yet deep and full breaths almost at the healthy pace he had set for her, "And out…" he exhaled, both as an instruction and also out of relief.

He continued softly guiding her for a few more moments, until he was satisfied with her breathing and convinced that she was capable of continuing inhaling and exhaling independently. Keeping her sitting in front of him, one arm wrapped around her and the other stroking her body soothingly, Lucas smiled at her calmingly, "You're alright now, Brooke… Everything's alright…" he said, his eyes still trained on hers, as if pulling her to him from the distant land she had been swept away to.

Upon hearing Lucas' gentle, caring voice and finally being able to think clearly, as breathing was no longer an issue, Brooke could feel her lower lip beginning to tremble again as the threats of the man who had attacked her twice began to fill her head.

"It's O.K., Brooke, I'm right here" Lucas tried to comfort as he saw fresh tears filling Brooke's eyes again, "You're safe now, babe… I'm right here…" he told her, embracing her in his arms as she quietly cried, the events of the night echoing in her head.

"Luke, I was so scared…" Brooke confessed into his neck, to which he was currently pressing her as he rocked her back and forth. She was truly in no state to put barriers around her heart and Lucas' familiar, calming presence gave her a sense of safety, as she trusted him not to harm her.

"I've got you, baby… I won't let anything happen to you, I promise…" Lucas told her, rubbing his hands up and down her back and allowing her to cry all the tears she needed to let out, as he had already realized that something truly traumatic had happened to her that night. He had seen the marks engraved on her neck while he had been trying to help her calm down, but knew that he needed to help her settle down before he could ask her about the way she had acquired the swellings and bruises he had spotted. It was much more urgent to him to make sure that she was alright than anything else, even more than learning about how she had ended up in the terrible state he had found her.

"Luke…" Lucas could suddenly hear Brooke whimpering and felt her small hands tightening their grasp on his shirt, causing him to immediately pull her a little closer to him, as he realized that she needed him to make her feel safe.

"Shh… You're alright, baby… You're alright…" he whispered into her ear as his arms buried her small body inside them, wanting to give her all the security in the world. As he heard Brooke continuing to softly cry into his skin, Lucas closed his eyes in pain, heartbroken to witness her so broken. He took a deep breath as he continued stroking Brooke's body with the most delicate caresses he could draw upon her skin, and gave Brooke's temple the gentlest kiss there could be. He was truly devastated as he realized the gravity of the event that had to take place in order for Brooke to be as shattered as she currently was.

Little by little, Lucas could sense the tension of Brooke's body lessening and felt how her cries were dying out at last. Glancing at her every now and then, in order to make sure that she was alright, and continuing to rub her back and shoulders softly as he spoke more comforting words to her, Lucas was soon glad to see that Brooke seemed to be truly calming down. By the time that Owen finally arrived with a bottle of mineral water for her, Brooke had completely stopped crying, simply resting in Lucas' arms, in need of feeling protected by his supportive embrace.

Lucas, who could see how hesitantly Owen was looking at them from the entrance of the room, as if he was afraid that if he would enter, Brooke would start crying again, gently untangled Brooke from his big hug, immediately pulling her to a side hug, so she would be able to see Owen coming in and wouldn't be startled once again, but still enabling her to be pressed to his comforting form.

"Hey… I brought you some water…" Owen awkwardly advanced towards the duo and stretched his hand forward, offering Brooke the water bottle, as Lucas gave her forehead a gentle, supportive kiss and carefully wiped her tears off of her cheeks.

"Thanks, Owen…" Lucas took the drink from him and spoke for Brooke, sensing that the small brunette clinging to his side was still too shaky to speak. He could tell that Owen was afraid that one wrong action or word would set Brooke off again, and truly couldn't blame him, as she had definitely been in a concerning state just minutes earlier. Realizing, therefore, that he needed to be the one who continued guiding Brooke, Lucas effortlessly opened the water bottle up and carefully brought it to Brooke's mouth.

"Drink some water, Brooke. It'll make you feel better…" he advised, understanding that Brooke still needed to receive guidance when she didn't say a word and simply did as he said, drinking as much as she could before her sore neck caused her to cough a little.

"Easy there…" Lucas said as he gently took the water from her hands, realizing that she couldn't overdo it. As Brooke tiredly laid her head on his shoulder, Lucas worriedly glanced down at her, concerned that she was retorting into herself again.

"Hey… How are you doing there?" he slightly moved her in his arms and looked at her intently, needing to estimate her condition according to her response.

"O.K…." Brooke shakily responded, her voice scratchy and quiet from her crying and from the abused state of her neck, yet both Lucas and Owen were truly relieved to hear her finally speaking to them in a coherent manner.

"You tired?" Lucas questioned her as he carefully watched her, amazed to see how quickly she had gone from being completely hysterical to being quiet and still. Receiving a small nod from Brooke, who was, understandably, drained from everything that she had been through, Lucas simply nodded and began to lift Brooke up with him, "Let's get you home, babe…" he gently suggested, knowing that Brooke definitely needed and deserved a long rest after everything that had happened. He couldn't even fully stand up, though, when Owen had already stopped him.

"Lucas…" Owen looked at him with sincere, tense eyes, "I'm afraid you might want to stay here for a bit longer…" he warned, causing Lucas to look at him with confusion.

"Why, Owen? Because she really does need to rest…" Lucas didn't quite understand, yet something in Owen's eyes told him that he actually had an important reason to perform his actions.

"The person who did this to Brooke is right outside with the police…" Owen quietly said, causing Lucas to realize just how crucial indeed it had been for Owen to stop him from going out of the club with Brooke. As he looked down at Brooke and saw how her face had paled all over again, he quickly brought her over to a chair and sat her down, kneeling so that he could be eye-leveled with her.

"Everything is fine, Brooke. We will make sure that you are safe, I promise…" Lucas said, looking straight into those terrified hazel orbs and after several seconds, finally receiving a nod from Brooke.

"O.K…" Brooke said in a small voice, causing Lucas to give her a gentle, reassuring smile, as he took her little palm in his. As he watched Brooke taking a deep breath in order to push her emotions away, Lucas gently squeezed her hand, as if wanting to convey his support.

"What is it, Brooke?" he gently asked her as he saw her perplexed, emotion-filled eyes looking at him with hesitation, as if contemplating whether to tell him what was going on in her head or not.

"Lucas… I…" she softly started, but abruptly stopped, having a difficult time to vocalize her feelings and thoughts due to the traumatic events she had been through. She shifted her eyes from Lucas' piercing gaze to the floor and back to Lucas, trying to let out what she felt that she needed to finally let him know, yet the words didn't seem to come out, as her mouth went dry and her strained throat couldn't produce a sound. Sensing her difficulty, Lucas began to stroke up and down her arms, looking at her with an intense expression.

"You can tell me anything, Brooke…" he reassured her, nodding at her encouragingly as she lifted her hesitant eyes back up to him, "Come on, baby… What did you want to say?"

* * *

**AN: Yes, I am being mean again with a cliffhanger, but the good news is that this means that the next chapter will open with a major Brucas conversation and will overall continue the line of Brooke and Lucas getting closer to one another over what had happened and due to the fact that Brooke will continue to be in need of the support that Lucas had been able to provide her.**

**I really hope that you liked this chapter, and I salute those of you who survived reading this gigantic chapter... This is all until next time... ;-)**


	23. Chapter 23

**I know that it has been way too long since my last update, but as I already told some of you- I've been away from home for a while and had no access to my computer for some time. Anyway- I definitely had this story in my mind all along so once again- you guys get a pretty lengthy chapter. I hope that you guys like it and are still patient enough to stick around and read... Enjoy! ;-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Last Time**

_"Lucas… I…" she softly started, but abruptly stopped, having a difficult time to vocalize her feelings and thoughts due to the traumatic events she had been through. _

_"You can tell me anything, Brooke…" Lucas reassured her, nodding at her encouragingly as she lifted her hesitant eyes back up to him, "Come on, baby… What did you want to say?"_

**Chapter 23**

Brooke's vision clouded with tears as she struggled with the thoughts that were so difficult for her to voice out.

"Brooke?" she could hear Lucas' concerned voice softly calling out to her as his hand gently stroked up and down her arm, attempting to reach out to her.

"L-Luke… I n… need…" Brooke attempted to speak, but as her emotions were getting the better of her, Lucas quickly cut her off.

"Hey… Take it easy, Brooke…" Lucas tensely instructed, worried that Brooke was about to drive herself into yet another panic attack. He looked deeply into her eyes and slightly tightened his grip on her body- as if trying to pull her back to him with his penetrating gaze and protective hold- and finally slightly smiled with ease when he saw Brooke taking a deep, calming breath.

"That's it, babe…" he encouraged, his hand gliding over Brooke's skin soothingly, "Why don't we save this talk for tomorrow, baby? Right now you should probably just rest…" Lucas caringly advised, gently stroking Brooke's silky hair in order to help her relax, yet Brooke immediately shook her head, determined to finally share her thoughts with Lucas, no matter how difficult it was for her.

"Luke, I-I need to tell you what happened" she insisted, her big, hazel eyes looking at Lucas with such need, that Lucas immediately nodded in response.

"Alright…" he couldn't help but say, unable to refuse to the teary-eyed gaze and trembling lips of the brunette before him, "Just take it easy…" he softly asked, his hand still gently combing through Brooke's hair as the other held onto her body, securing her from any harm.

Brooke nodded, intending to follow Lucas' instructions, yet as she tried to find a way to put everything that had happened to her into words, she could feel her emotions spiraling out of control and couldn't help but bury her face in her hands and start to sob uncontrollably once more.

"Oh Brooke… Come here…" Lucas immediately gathered her into his arms, allowing her to cry on his shoulder, "It's alright, baby… You're safe now…" he promised, pressing her to him and kissing her temple in an attempt to soothe her.

"I'm sorry…" Brooke cried in embarrassment, unable to control her sobs, which were now rolling freely out of her mouth. She really wanted to stay strong as she explained everything that had happened to her to Lucas, and the fact that she didn't manage to do so filled her with shame and frustration, which only worsened her stream of tears.

"You have nothing to apologize for, baby girl…" Lucas told her gently, burying her trembling body in his strong arms even more, "Just let out whatever you need to, O.K.? I'm not going anywhere…" he softly told her, starting to rub comforting circles on Brooke's back as she let out heartbreaking cries into his shirt.

"Luke… I'm s-sorry for-" Brooke choked out yet another apology, yet Lucas quickly interrupted her strained, scratchy sentence.

"Shh… It's alright, Brooke… Everything's alright…" he soothed, starting to gently rock Brooke in his arms back and forth, in the hopes of helping her settle down.

As Brooke instinctively tucked her face into Lucas' neck, seeking comfort and safety, Lucas bent his head and kissed her shoulder, his strokes of her trembling body not ceasing even for a moment. Her hysterical sobs truly broke his heart, yet he pulled himself together, for Brooke's sake, and continued whispering comforting words to her as her sobs turned to pained whimpers, and later to shaky breaths, until she was finally resting against him quietly, his sleeves clenched tightly in her palms and her moist cheek still pressed to his neck. Still rubbing Brooke's back with one hand and using the other to attach her small body to his larger one, Lucas looked up from Brooke's exhausted figure and over to the doorway, where he found Owen eyeing the fragile brunette in his arms with concern and discomfort.

"It's alright, man- I've got her…" Lucas softly told the worried bartender, keeping his voice down to a calm tone so that he wouldn't startle Brooke. He understood that Owen was looking for a way to help, yet didn't know how and could see that there really wasn't much that could be done for Brooke except to sit with her and hold her protectively.

"There has to be something I can do to help…" Owen replied, uneasy with leaving Brooke when she was obviously not alright.

Lucas was about to tell Owen that there wouldn't be too much that could be done, when Brooke suddenly shifted in his arms and turned to face Owen, her tired, swollen eyes awkwardly alternating between Owen's eyes and the floor.

"Could you maybe… maybe come and tell me when he… when the police take…" Brooke stuttered, her sore neck causing her voice to only come out as a raspy, quiet mumble, yet Owen understood what she had meant to ask for and immediately nodded.

"Of course I will, Brooke… Is there anything else I can do?" he genuinely wanted to know, truly wanting to make things better for Brooke in any way that he could.

"No, thank you…" Brooke shook her head and politely replied, leaning her drained figure against Lucas' frame for support and immediately sensing him tightening his arms around her.

"Alright… Hang in there, Brooke…" Owen supportively said to Brooke, giving her a small, encouraging smile. He then left Brooke and Lucas alone in his office, closing the door after him in order to give Brooke some peace and privacy, so she could recover from everything that had happened that night.

Left with Brooke resting in his arms and finally able to look at her with no interruptions at all, Lucas checked Brooke with his eyes, lingering on her wet cheeks at first and after gently wiping them clean of tears, moving his gaze over and halting it on Brooke's abused neck.

"That's some bruising you've got there…" Lucas told Brooke with concern as his eyes stroked Brooke's harmed skin with their gaze.

"I know…" Brooke quietly replied, her voice obviously suffering the effect of the injury she had sustained. As she lowered her gaze and started fidgeting slightly with her fingers, avoiding Lucas' eyes, Lucas frowned worriedly.

"Brooke, how bad does it hurt?" he needed to know, finding it necessary to understand whether he needed to make sure that Brooke received immediate medical treatment or whether he could let Brooke rest and wait until the morning and take her to the doctor's office only then.

"I'm fine, Luke…" she mumbled, her eyes glued to her fiddling fingers.

"That doesn't look all that "fine" to me, Brooke…" Lucas said to her, the concern evident in his voice, "Come here, let me take a look at you…" he slightly moved her in his arms, brushing a finger against Brooke's neck as gently as he could, yet still causing her to wince and forcing her to bite her lip so that she wouldn't cry out in pain.

"God… Oh Brooke, I'm so sorry…" Lucas remorsefully apologized, feeling horrible for causing Brooke even more pain, "Come on… Let's just go and find someone who can take care of your neck…" he offered, starting to rise to his feet with Brooke in his grasp before he even gave her a chance to respond, as he was determined to find someone who could help her out.

When it finally registered to Brooke that Lucas was about to lead her out through the club and to the place where her attacker was currently present, a sense of panic washed over her, enabling her to free herself of Lucas' grasp and to stumble backwards over to Owen's desk.

"No, Luke… I can't go out there!" Brooke exclaimed, grabbing onto the table at the last moment, just before tripping to the floor.

"Brooke, I really think that you need to see a doctor, babe…" Lucas tried to calmly and rationally speak to Brooke, yet she was far too terrified by the thoughts about her attacker to be able to see the logic behind his words.

"No, Luke, I can't! I just… I just need to tell you what happened…" she said, trying to cling to the naive belief that once Lucas would know everything, he would be able to make all her pain go away.

"Brooke… I really think that-"

"I was attacked! O.K.?!" Brooke blurted out in panic as Lucas approached her, intending to help her stabilize and assist her in walking towards his car. It was the only thing she could think of telling Lucas that might avert his attention off the attempt to take her outside, where the man that had hurt would currently be.

"Yeah, babe- I can see that… That's why we need to get you to a doctor" Lucas softly replied to Brooke's upset and frightened voice, trying to gently help her see why his actions were the sensible ones. As he finally reached Brooke and carefully wrapped an arm around her, intending to guide her out to his car, Brooke detached herself from him in alarm. Knowing that the entire truth would be her sole card out of the situation she was currently in, Brooke braced herself to do what she had been trying to do ever since she had gotten a grip over herself that night- to tell Lucas about everything, no matter how tough it was for her.

"I'm not talking about now, Luke-" Brooke began to tensely speak, yet Lucas interrupted her, concerned for her wellbeing.

"Brooke, please-"

"While you were away, I was attacked and the guy tonight… It was him, O.K.?!" Brooke speedily spoke, needing to say it all at once if she wanted to say anything at all. In response to her revelation, Lucas' jaw dropped. He was definitely _not_ expecting to hear that.

"Wait… What?!" Lucas questioned in utter shock, stumbling backwards slightly due to the weight that Brooke's words carried. He had already suspected that Brooke had been attacked while he was away by the way she had looked and behaved, but hearing her say it out loud confirmed his awful suspicions and made things all the more real. Moreover, suddenly realizing what terror Brooke had been living under all that time and how frightened she must be to be tracked down and attacked by the same man again, Lucas understood that things were even worse than he had originally thought they were.

Brooke and Lucas were both silent for several moments as the gravity of Brooke's confession weighted the air down. So silent that the still-slightly-strained and shaky breath that Brooke had taken before mustering the power to speak again could be heard as clearly as if it were a scream.

"I was closing up my store the night after you left when this guy suddenly barged into the store. All I could see was that he was tall and wearing a mask and I only managed to scream before he knocked me to the floor and… and started to… he umm… he hit…" Brooke was forced to pause and take a few breaths as the tears choked her up, yet Lucas, who had paled by this new information that he had just learned, was incapable of waiting before he asked her the alarming question, which suddenly wouldn't leave his mind.

"Brooke, you weren't… Did he…?" he couldn't even say it, horrified of the mere thought of Brooke being sexually assaulted. Much to his relief, Brooke was quick to shake her head, ridding him of the disturbing thought.

"No… He just knocked me out and took my sketches and some money" Brooke quietly told him, wincing slightly at the traumatic memory.

"Brooke… I'm so sorry, baby…" Lucas said to her in pain, both heartbroken and angry to hear about what she had gone through. As he watched the inner battle that Brooke fought against her emotions as she bit her trembling lip, Lucas could feel tears pricking in his own eyes. It hurt him so much to see Brooke in pain that he wanted to walk outside and beat the hell out of the man who had dared to taint her features with bruises and tears, yet he knew that he needed to be in control of himself, for Brooke's sake. Pushing his own emotions back, Lucas drew closer to Brooke, wanting to pull her into his arms, yet opting to grab her hand as he realized the discomfort she projected as he grew too close.

"I really don't think that I would have been so affected by this if it wasn't my mom who was behind this…" Brooke suddenly said in a shaky voice, shocking Lucas completely.

"What?! Brooke, you can't be serious about this…" Lucas looked at her with widened eyes, hoping to see a hint of doubt or even a glimmer of humor in her orbs somehow, but when all he could see was how Brooke was blinking back tears, his heart truly dropped.

"Oh my god…" the gasp that escaped Lucas' lips was what finally broke Brooke again, sending her into yet another round of sobs.

"When he got to me tonight… he… he said that I should leave the company to Victoria…" Brooke cried, "H-He's been stalking me, Luke… She told him where I live… and all about you guys… and about the store… Even if they catch him, m-my… Victoria could just send someone new to-"

"Hey, that's NOT gonna happen, O.K.?" Lucas grabbed onto Brooke's shoulders and sincerely looked into her tearful eyes, "Listen to me, Brooke- now that I know about this- I will never let that happen, alright?" he swore, tightening his grasp on Brooke's shoulders protectively, yet causing Brooke to only cry louder.

"No, Luke… I can't… I don't want… anybody else hurt… because of me…" she sobbed, the mere thought of her friends in danger due to her making her hysterically upset, "And she… I'm sure she's not through with me, Luke… She-" Brooke completely broke down, terrified to no extent by the belief that her nightmare hadn't ended yet. She covered her face with her hands and uncontrollably cried, in pain and scared and unable to pretend like she wasn't falling apart anymore.

Seeing Brooke's entire body wrack with sobs was like a kick in the gut for Lucas. "Come here, baby girl…" he softly whispered, quickly pulling her into his arms for a fierce hug, holding her as close to him as he possibly could.

"Luke, I can't-"

"Shh… It's over, Brooke. It's all over now… You're safe" he silenced her strained voice with a soothing tone, wishing that he could take away all the pain that had been caused to her in the past, but promising himself that he would at least prevent anyone from hurting her again, even if the first task was unattainable.

As Brooke continued to cry uncontrollably, clinging onto Lucas for dear life, as if fearing that in the moment that she would let go- her attacker will return to hurt her, Lucas couldn't help but allow several of the tears that he had earlier pushed back to now escape out of his eyes. Witnessing Brooke so broken and hurt, so overcome with emotion, truly got to him, making it impossible for him to remain indifferent.

"Baby, I promise you that I won't let anything happen to you, alright?" Lucas swore to the sobbing brunette, quickly wiping away the tears that trickled down his cheeks, so that Brooke wouldn't notice them, and successfully masking the shakiness of his voice. He understood that Brooke currently depended on his strength and that as emotional as he felt, that he would have to control himself for Brooke's sake. He therefore took a deep breath, pushing all of his emotions back down, and strengthened his hold on Brooke's trembling body, trying to help her feel safe and secure.

When Brooke suddenly began to cough unhealthily, the abused state of her neck, her panic attack and all the crying she had been doing taking all their tolls on her, Lucas immediately began to lightly tap her on the back.

"Hey… Calm down, babe…" he said to Brooke, worried that her struggles with her breathing would recur with the way she was crying, coughing and straining her airways.

"Shh… It's alright… Come on, just breathe, O.K.?" Lucas calmingly instructed Brooke, moving on to rubbing her trembling back when she stopped coughing and now was simply struggling to even out the acute, strained breaths that came out of her harmed airways.

When she seemed to have calmed down, after a while, Lucas slightly shifted Brooke in his arms, so that he could see her face and felt his heart twitch when he noticed that silent tears were still streaming down her face.

"Hey… Don't cry, baby" he begged her, wiping her cheeks with one hand as the other maintained a firm grip on her body, "It's O.K. now… It's over…" Lucas comforted quietly, kissing Brooke's temple and keeping her close to him. He realized how truly traumatized and shaken up Brooke must be after everything that she had been through and truly couldn't blame her for being unable to control her emotions after being scarred so deeply, yet it still truly broke his heart to see her falling apart like that.

Lucas had barely managed to calm Brooke down when a knock on the door could be heard before it was swiftly opened up, causing Brooke to jump with a startled gasp and cling onto Lucas with fear and Lucas to tighten his grip on Brooke and tense up- ready to fight off anyone who might try to harm Brooke. Thankfully for the both of them, they could soon see Owen's familiar face, which filled with discomfort when he realized the reactions his entrance to the room had caused.

"Sorry… I didn't mean to scare you, Brooke…" he mumbled apologetically, continuing only after Brooke slightly nodded at him from her still shaky state, as if accepting his apology, "I just came to tell you that that prick was arrested, but the police need to get your statement so that he'll remain in jail" he informed Brooke.

"Tonight?" Brooke asked in a small, shaky voice, not knowing if she could handle talking about everything that had happened to her for a second time during that night, which had already been upsetting and draining as it is.

"I don't know if that's a good idea, Owen. She needs to get some rest…" Lucas told him, understanding how tough it would be for Brooke to relive her attacks once again that night, after witnessing how emotional she was when she had told him about them, "Can you ask them if she can come in tomorrow?" Lucas asked Owen. He would have gone himself had he not felt the need to stay by Brooke side and help her feel more secure.

"I already did… I'm sorry, but they said that Brooke has to come tonight and give them a statement or they can't keep that idiot in jail…" Owen shrugged apologetically, knowing there would be nothing more he could do about it. He and Lucas exchanged worried glances, both concerned that this would be too much for Brooke to handle, yet Lucas was the first to clear his throat and speak in an attempt to deal with the new bombshell that had been thrown Brooke's way.

"Listen, I know that it's hard to talk about all those terrible things that happened to you, but just think about the fact that after you do this- the guy who did all those things to you will be locked behind bars like he deserves…" Lucas told Brooke after seeing that she was remaining silent and still, as if too shaken up by Owen's announcement to be able to fully respond. When all she did was sniffle and blink, Lucas began to draw soothing circles on her back, "Come on, babe" he soothed, "We'll do this together" he promised, slightly squeezing Brooke to his side in order to show her how much he truly meant to be there for her.

"O.K…." Brooke mumbled in a daze, her eyes and mind lost in space. She knew that the only possible way for her to manage to get through the retelling of her attacks would be for her to detach herself from her emotions, for she would otherwise fall completely apart. She therefore welcomed the numbing feeling that overcame her as she allowed Lucas to tighten his grip on her and pull her onto her feet. She found herself somehow walking over to the parking lot, where the patrol vehicle was waiting for her, aided and supported by Lucas and Owen, who were holding up her withered body and providing her with protection from both sides, like bodyguards, but not much that was going on around her truly registered to her, as her mind was blocking out any outer stimulation that had tried to arouse a reaction from her systems.

Brooke had hazily been aware of how Lucas took all of her weight into her arms, thanked Owen and had basically pulled her onto his lap as he got her into the police car, before sliding her figure into the seat in the center of the car and buckling up both of their seatbelts, yet when he had called out her name and touched her shoulder, she refrained from answering, as she felt the need to stay in her numb, anxiety-free state of mind. She knew that she was worrying Lucas and truly didn't want to do that, nor did she want to retort back to the disturbing state she had been in after the first attack had occurred, but she couldn't help it- it was all too much for her to handle and giving in to the numbness was the easier way for her to react.

"Look, I'm not sure she's capable of going through this…" Brooke could hear Lucas worriedly telling the cops after a few more failing attempts of communicating with her. Only then did she realize that she had to force herself to respond to him before her interrogation would be canceled and her attacker would be set free.

"It's O.K., Luke…" Brooke absentmindedly muttered, her eyes still staring into space. When Lucas squeezed her hand for support, wordlessly asking her to react to his touch, she softly squeezed his hand back, yet immediately returned to her dazed state of mind afterwards. She didn't even notice it when they parked at the police station and when Lucas practically carried her into the station and was therefore completely overwhelmed to find herself sitting on a chair in the police station, wrapped up in a police blanket and facing a kind-looking middle-aged cop.

"Lucas?" she hoarsely whispered, looking around herself in panic in search for her blond friend, whose presence made her feel more secure and protected. Before her eyes spotted him, she could feel him gently placing his hand on her back from behind her, a simple gesture which immediately helped her ease some of her tension away.

"I'm right here, Brooke" his voice added to his touch as he also stepped forward, so that Brooke could see him, his hand never leaving her body, an act that she was certainly grateful for. When she looked at him with her big, hazel eyes, which were laced with nervousness, Brooke received a reassuring smile from Lucas.

"This is Officer Beacon, Brooke. Whenever you're ready, he'll ask you some questions. After that the station's paramedic will take a look at you and then we can head home, alright?" he calmingly explained to her what was about to happen, wanting her to see that she had nothing to worry about.

"I'm ready…" Brooke forced herself to quietly say, her raspy voice trembling a bit, yet as she looked up at the hesitant officer before him, nodding at him, he gave her a small smile and began his interrogation, trying to be as gentle, yet as precise as he could.

As she gave her statement- Brooke felt as though she was on autopilot- her mouth was replying to every single question that the officer had asked her, telling him about each and every incident that had happened to her since the attack, yet her mind was somewhere else- floating above and not involving itself in all of those painful memories. Only when she revealed the details that had been unknown to Lucas- such as the full extent of her injuries from the first attack, her second hospitalization in New York and how she had been suspended from running her company, and felt Lucas tense from behind her or tighten his grip on her angrily and protectively, did she slightly flinch, feeling a momentary stab of pain in her heart, which would disappear moments later, as her mind sailed back to oblivion.

Before she knew it, the kind officer thanked her for her cooperation and assured her that her attacker would be kept in prison at least until his trial, afterwards leaving her and calling the station's paramedic over to check on her neck. She could feel Lucas by her side throughout the entire time, never letting go of her hand and squeezing it with support when it seemed to him like she was flinching in pain, although she was too numb to truly feel anything.

"Come on, Brooke… Let's go home…." Brooke could suddenly hear Lucas saying and felt him aiding her to her feet and starting to guide her after one of the cops, who had offered to give them a ride home, seeing as they had both left their cars in the club and it was obvious that Brooke would be uncomfortable returning there after what had happened to her.

Still feeling like she was on a floating boat, sailing through the clouds, Brooke grabbed her head, causing Lucas to stop and look down at her with concern. The entire visit to the police station, which she had dreaded so much, had gone by so quickly, almost as if she was only imagining it, that Brooke felt like she was in a dark dream, unable to truly grasp what was going on around her. Her head was now spinning and her senses were still numb and she realized that she hadn't been this tired and worn out in a really long time.

"Hey… Are you alright?" Brooke could hear Lucas asking her. She responded by leaning herself against his body, resting her head against his chest, and could feel Lucas effortlessly lifting her up into his arms and carrying her over to the police car. He understood her, without words, and realized that she was so tired already that she was slightly out of it.

"Close your eyes, babe. You should really get some rest…" Lucas told Brooke as he saw her fighting against her drooping eyelids, trying desperately to stay awake as he and she both entered one of the station's vehicles into which the officer before them had gone. As they sat side by side in the back seat, Brooke leaning her head against Lucas and Lucas stroking Brooke's hair gently, the cop turned over to them from the driver's seat.

"So- where am I taking you?" he questioned, looking at Lucas as he didn't expect Brooke to be providing him any answers in her shaken up state, yet before Lucas could give him his house's address, to which he had been planning to take Brooke so he could look after her, Brooke gently tugged at his shirt, causing him to look down at her.

"Tell him to drive to my place" she wearily asked, causing Lucas to frown as he thought that she was telling him that she wanted each one of them to go to a separate way now, something that there was truly no way that Lucas was going to agree to.

"Brooke…" he tried to protest, wanting to tell her that she was coming with him tonight, and that there would be no place for arguments about that, but before he could express his full objection, Brooke spoke again.

"Rachel's at my house and I'm not leaving her alone" Brooke declared, causing Lucas to nod in understanding as he realized that her determination to go to her own house had nothing to do with him.

"Fine, but I'm staying over with you tonight, Brooke. There's no way in hell that I'm leaving you alone either" he strictly announced, wanting to make the matter clear. After Brooke slightly nodded her head, signaling to him that he could stay over if he pleased, Lucas gave the officer Brooke's house's address and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her to his side in the intention of letting her get some rest. However, just as Lucas thought that Brooke was starting to give in to her exhaustion, Brooke's cell phone suddenly rang, startling the worn out brunette.

"Are you alright?" Lucas worriedly looked down at Brooke as he felt her heart beating wildly against him. In response, she absentmindedly nodded, yet shakily handed him her ringing phone, clarifying to him that she was in no state to speak to anyone at the moment.

"Hello?" Lucas answered the phone all the while holding Brooke to him and rubbing her back in an attempt to help her calm down. He could truly understand why she was so jumpy after everything she had been through and as he felt her small palms tightening their grip on him, he couldn't help but pay more attention to her than the caller on the other side of the line, as he wanted to make sure that she was doing alright.

"Luke? It's Nathan, what's up, man?" Lucas half-attentively heard his brother's worriless voice asking, yet as he was still fully concentrated on Brooke, he didn't really give Nathan any response until he witnessed Brooke finally closing her eyes and slightly snuggling into his body.

"Hi Nate" Lucas then distractedly said, his mind still focused on the brunette that was resting in his arms.

"I just called to check on Brooke and see if everything's alright with her" Nathan explained, waiting for Lucas to laugh and tell him that the dimpled brunette was perfectly fine, yet much to his concern- his older brother simply remained quiet.

"Where are you guys? Did you and Brooke go out, Luke?" Nathan asked, not wanting to overreact despite his rising suspicions that something was wrong with Brooke. He tried to convince himself that there was a perfectly logical explanation as to why Lucas had answered Brooke's phone instead of her and why he was being so quiet, but when Lucas replied, all of his hopes had gone down the drain.

"Not exactly, Nate."

"What do you mean 'not exactly'? Luke, what's going on?" Nathan tensely questioned, his voice sounding more and more alarmed.

"Look, don't freak out, Nate, but we're heading back to her house from the police station right now…" Lucas began to break the news. He glanced down at Brooke and only upon seeing that she was sleeping already, was about to explain things to Nathan, yet the younger Scott had spoken before he could even open his mouth.

"Oh my god, are you guys O.K.? Was there an accident?" Nathan questioned, by now fully panicked.

"No, No, there was no accident…" Lucas immediately said, sighing heavily and glancing at the sleeping brunette in his arms briefly before he explained, "Look Nate, I don't want you to panic, but Brooke was attacked tonight by the same guy who broke into her store" Lucas said, closing his eyes in sorrow as he took in the silence that was coming from the other side of the line in the few moments in which Nathan was too shocked to even speak. The few moments that were the silence before the storm.

"_**What?!?!**_ _**Lucas, how the hell did that happen??**_ She was here less than two hours ago! I can't believe this!!" Nathan exclaimed, completely in shock and unable to believe his ears, "Where is she?? How is she?? I'm coming to wherever you guys are!" Nathan searched around himself for his car-key, walking around in circles, so stunned and infuriated that he couldn't even think clearly.

"Nate, Nate, slow down… Brooke's gonna be fine" Lucas tried to help his brother calm down. He knew that the news he had told him were truly upsetting, but he realized that Nathan couldn't be of any help to Brooke at the moment, as she only needed to rest and Nathan was currently far too emotional to act as a calming force for her anyway.

"You didn't see her after last time, Luke. That girl was _shattered to pieces_, O.K.?!" Nathan said in distress, recalling how awful the first few days after Brooke's attack had been, "So there is no way in hell that she's 'O.K.' now! Now, will you please tell me where you guys are, so I can get there already??" Nathan slightly snapped at Lucas, too worried to realize how harsh his voice was.

"Listen, Nate- Brooke is sleeping right now. She's exhausted and emotionally drained and you're upset. If you come here tonight, you'll only wake her up and nothing good will come out of that" Lucas knew that he was being slightly insensitive, but believed that this was the only way to talk some sense into his brother and prevent him from driving across town when his emotions are out of control. "I promise you that I've got her. I'm gonna be right by her side all night and tomorrow morning, when she will wake up, I promise to give you a call, alright?" Lucas swore. He waited in silence for a bit and finally heard Nathan sighing in defeat, realizing that Lucas was right.

"If there's anything wrong with her tonight, call me immediately. I mean it, Luke" Nathan stressed, uneasy to wait until the morning to check on his brunette friend, yet realizing that it was truly the best option for them both.

"Alright, Nate. I'll see you tomorrow" Lucas replied, ending the call and looking down at Brooke. He just hoped that he wouldn't need to fulfill this promise, and that Brooke would be able to sleep through the night without any problems…

* * *

As the cop pulled over in Brooke's driveway, Lucas realized that even though he had successfully managed to calm Nathan's outburst, another one was heading his way in the form of Rachel, who was certainly waiting for him in Brooke's fully lit house. Sighing to himself, Lucas thanked the cop for the ride and was about to pick Brooke in his arms and face the fiery redhead inside the house, when Brooke suddenly stirred awake and wordlessly insisted to step out of the car onto her own two feet. Lucas didn't say a word, but quickly circled the car to Brooke's side and wrapped his arm around her, to provide her unsteady form with physical stability. They silently walked over to the house together, Brooke's exhausted body firmly supported by Lucas' arms and as they finally entered the house, Lucas wasn't at all surprised to hear frantic footsteps racing down from the second story of the house.

"What the hell took you guys so long? I was seriously getting worri-" Rachel's scolding sentence came to a halt in the middle as she took in Brooke's state. Her jaw dropped as she noticed Brooke's limp form, swollen eyes and bandaged neck, and her eyes widened with fear as she observed how alarmingly quiet and detached Brooke seemed to be.

"Brooke, honey…" Rachel carefully approached her friend, who was tucked under Lucas' arm, resting against his body, yet before she could reach her, Brooke untangled herself from Lucas' arms and wordlessly started walking over to her bedroom in small, tired steps.

"What the hell is this?? What happened to her?!" Rachel questioned in a loud tone, still completely shocked by Brooke's dramatic entrance. As Lucas tried to walk beyond her, wanting to get to Brooke and help her make her way to her bed, Rachel grabbed onto his arm and yanked him backwards. "Tell me what the hell happened!" she noisily demanded.

"Look, I'm sure that you're not trying to upset Brooke, but you truly need to keep your voice down, Rachel" Lucas said, effectively silencing the redhead before him. When he noticed how fearfully Rachel was looking at him, Lucas softened up and put a gentle hand on Rachel's shoulder.

"I know that this will be hard for you to hear, but please try to stay calm for Brooke" Lucas began by preparing Rachel and only continued after he received a consenting nod from her, "Before I arrived in the club, Brooke was attacked again, by the same man that hurt her before" Lucas explained, watching Rachel's face fall as her features filled with horror.

"Oh god…" she gasped, "Oh my god, this is all my fault! I should have never let her go there alone!" Rachel exclaimed, her eyes filling with tears of guilt.

"Hey, none of it is your fault, Rachel, alright?" Lucas comfortingly said to her, squeezing her shoulder as the tears in her eyes fell to her cheeks. "You are an amazing friend to Brooke. I could see how much you've been helping her ever since you came back to Tree Hill, so don't take any of this blame on yourself, Rachel" he honestly told her, squeezing her shoulder once again as more tears flowed down her face. "Come on, Rachel- don't cry…" Lucas asked her, feeling a tug in his heart as he saw how her eyes were swelling up with more and more tears, "She's gonna be alright. Don't cry…"

"I'm sorry… I'm fine" Rachel took a deep breath, wiping her face clear of tears and sniffling a little, "Look, don't worry about me. I'll just… I'm gonna lock up here and… Well, I'm gonna need a minute and then I'll go up to Brooke" Rachel said, biting her lower lip in thought and as an attempt to rid herself of the excessive emotions she was suddenly flooded with, "You should go up to her. I don't want her to see me like this, but we can't let her be alone…" Rachel told Lucas, receiving a reassuring smile from Lucas.

"Alright, Rachel…" he soothingly said. He turned and was about to start walking to Brooke's bedroom when he realized that Rachel remained standing in her place, taking deep breaths and forcefully trying to get a grip over herself. Unable to leave her behind like that, Lucas returned to Rachel and pulled her in for a friendly hug. "It's O.K., Rachel… She'll be alright…" he promised, realizing how important his simple gesture was only when Rachel suddenly hugged him back for a moment and then drew away with more tears trickling down her face.

"Thank you" she sniffled, forcing a smile and expressing her genuine gratitude. After Lucas nodded at her, as if saying that it was alright, Rachel took yet another deep breath and then said, "Go on, Lucas… I'm really alright now" causing Lucas to finally head over to Brooke's bedroom, to check on her.

As he approached her unlit room, Lucas made sure to take careful, quiet steps, as he didn't want to wake Brooke up if she had already managed to fall asleep during the short time that he had been speaking to Rachel. Upon opening the door, Lucas indeed found Brooke lying still on her side with her back to him, yet after taking a seat by her bed, Lucas suddenly noticed that she was slightly trembling and shifting under her blankets.

"Brooke?" he softly called out to her, gently turning her onto her back so that he could see her face when she didn't answer, yet seemed to have sniffled quietly.

"Oh baby, don't cry…" Lucas begged her brokenheartedly upon spotting the wet trails that were streaming down her face once again. His caring, devastated voice and the gentle way that he began to stroke her hair were enough to sent Brooke into another fit of sobs, which within seconds were muffled by Lucas' shirt as he brought her shaking form into his embrace.

"Luke, I'm scared" she confessed, burying her face in Lucas' chest and letting all of her awakening emotions out. Brooke would usually be embarrassed to talk about her feelings, especially ones that made her seem vulnerable, yet at that moment she was truly in no condition to keep anything bottled up.

"Nothing will happen to you, baby girl, I promise" Lucas said, tightening his grip on Brooke protectively, "I'm not gonna let anyone hurt you, Brooke" he swore, rocking her in his arms calmingly, yet her tears didn't cease to fall.

"Don't leave me, please…" Lucas suddenly heard Brooke say in a small, broken voice and could feel his heart twitch when she tightened her grip on him with need and desperation, as if holding on for dear life.

"I'm not going anywhere, Brooke" Lucas responded as soon as he found his voice, tightening his embrace as well.

"Don't leave me, please…" Brooke repeated, sobbing into him in a way that only someone who had been completely shattered could, completely breaking Lucas' heart.

"I'm right here, baby… I'm right here" he soothed, kissing her shoulder and stroking her hair in an attempt to get her to stop crying.

"Luke-" Brooke cried, unable to contain all of the confusion and painful feelings that were filling her up. Sobbing, she fell completely apart in Lucas' arms.

"Hey, I've got you, baby… You're safe now, O.K.?" Lucas repeated the calming words he had been whispering to her all night, "Come on, babe- just close your eyes and get some sleep" he gently guided as he slid under Brooke's blanket and pulled all of Brooke's body into his secure embrace, "I'm not going anywhere…" he promised, kissing Brooke's temple as she hid her face inside the crook of his neck.

As Lucas continued to murmur soothing words into Brooke's skin, holding her body as close to him as he possibly could, Brooke gradually calmed down. By the time that Rachel had managed to get a grip over herself and make herself presentable enough so that Brooke wouldn't notice that she had been crying, she found Brooke and Lucas fast asleep in each other's arms, worn out by the eventful night, but still holding onto one another as tightly as they could, even in their sleep. Rachel decided not to bother the duo and to leave Brooke curled up in Lucas' arms, where it seemed like she felt safe and calm. She just hoped that in the morning, when Brooke would be awakened from her peaceful sleep, Lucas would manage to maintain the calming effect he seemed to have on her now, as after Brooke's reaction to the first attack, Rachel truly worried that this second incident could be what pushed her dear friend too far…

* * *

**AN: I know that this chapter was sort of "Cry me a River" in terms of the amount of tears that were shed, but I hope that it seemed as realistic to you guys as it did to me. On another note- I know that at least one of you didn't like how Lucas was calling Brooke "babe", but I do hope that it seemed fitting in this chapter as I know he did it a lot... lol... Just to clarify- this doesn't mean that Lucas is trying to treat Brooke as his girlfriend (yet...), it was just meant to be an instinctive way to try to calm down a dear friend and show her that she was cared for and protected... Anyway- I would love to hear any comment that you guys have about this chapter! I really hope you enjoyed it! ;-)**


	24. Chapter 24

**Hi guys! I've been working on taking less time to update, so even though I used to be better at this in the very beginning- I hope you could all notice the improvement from last time... ;-) Anyway- I worked extra hard this time for all of you, but especially for brucasever- who I hope is feeling better by now (see- I updated sooner so you could get better sooner ;-)) and also for Bella (sophiannabella)- who's been encouraging me so much lately! Anyway- all of you guys are amazing, and I truly hope that you'll enjoy this update! ;-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 24**

The sunbeams that glided over Lucas' skin in the morning felt like strokes of a warm, gentle hand. Lucas sighed in his peaceful sleep, welcoming the pleasurable feeling and then slightly shifted in bed, suddenly sensing something warm and soft attached to his body. Lazily half-opening one eye, Lucas was suddenly greeted by the angelic sight of Brooke Davis sleeping worrilessly in his arms, curled up into his chest and wrapped up in a white blanket that was also covering him up. Unable to help but smile at the beautiful vision of Brooke's porcelain skin, red and parted lips and immaculate face, which was still slightly fuzzy to him, as he was still in a pretty sleepy state, Lucas instinctively began to idly rub his hand up and down Brooke's back, causing her to unconsciously snuggle into him a little more.

The scene seemed so perfect to him that Lucas rubbed his eyes with his free hand, wanting to make sure that his drowsy state wasn't making him see things that weren't real, as he couldn't really clearly recall how he ended up in Brooke's bed due to his sleep-induced lack of orientation. He blinked a few times, finally regaining his sharp and clear vision and looked at Brooke again. Suddenly, he realized that the white material wrapped around her elegant neck was not part of the blanket she was covered with, but a bandaging material. That's when it all came back to him; all of Brooke's screams and cries from the previous night, Brooke's dreadful statement to the police regarding everything that had happened to her, her choked up sobs that died out only when she was so exhausted- she fell asleep in his arms, and the way she had begged him not to leave her alone with fear, confusion, sadness and exhaustion in her eyes. Rubbing his head, which seemed to be pounding with the return of the previous night's events, this peaceful morning suddenly seemed to Lucas much more like a nightmare than a perfect dream.

Upon feeling tender movement against his chest, Lucas glanced back down at the girl that was held in his cradling embrace and studied her features. He immediately understood that she was still sleeping, yet could see that she was suddenly disturbed by unpleasant thoughts, probably reliving the nightmare whose traces he had been greeted with just moments earlier, in the form of the hidden scars on her neck. Gently pulling Brooke closer to him, Lucas began to rub her back in soothing circular motions, in the hopes of relieving the agitated expression on her face and chasing away the monster from her dreams.

"Luke…" she suddenly mumbled, her voice coming out as a quiet, raspy whimper, laced with fear and pain. Lucas could see her face scrunching up in a disturbed expression, one that taught him of the terrible thoughts she was haunted by, and immediately tightened his grip on her, wanting to help her feel safe.

"Shh… You're alright, Brooke. I'm right here…" he comforted, stroking Brooke's body soothingly. She tried to toss and turn in her sleep, yet Lucas maintained a secure grip on her, meaning to help her feel protected.

When Brooke slightly flinched in her sleep, it suddenly occurred to Lucas that he might actually be causing Brooke to feel trapped, especially after how she had been held down by her attacker the previous night. He was about to loosen his grip on Brooke, in order to let her feel free, when she mumbled something incoherent and then, much to his surprise, settled back into his arms, her face now buried in the crook of his neck.

Unable to help himself, Lucas gently kissed Brooke's forehead, smiling to himself sadly as he felt her sweet, soft breaths tickling the skin of his neck. If the situation hadn't been so tragic, Lucas would have been delighted that he had spent the night with Brooke curled up in his arms, sleeping with her slender legs intertwined with his strong ones. With the way things were, however, he knew that Brooke was only attached to him because she was afraid, because her heart and soul were damaged so much, that she was actually scared to sleep alone. Now, when he truly understood how bad things were for Brooke lately, he wanted to kick himself for not being there for her after her first attack, when she had desperately been trying to call him and he didn't even know. He could only imagine how much pain Brooke had been through- to be physically attacked in her store, to be emotionally terrorized by the thoughts of her ruthless attacker and above all- to feel abandoned by him in her time of need. Her statement to the police and especially her confession to him from the previous night still pounded in his head, every horrid detail making him internally cringe. Everything Brooke had told him, all of it truly broke Lucas' heart and all he could do at the moment was to secure his grip on her limp body and pray that when she would be awakened from her sleep- that she wouldn't be as broken as he feared…

* * *

"She's awake…" Lucas, who had phoned his brother right after Brooke rose from her sleep and asked him to give her some privacy so she could change, informed Nathan of Brooke's renewed conscious state, just as he had promised during the previous night.

"Good. I'm coming over" Nathan tersely replied, already grabbing the car-keys and about to hang up the conversation, as he was truly eager to check on his friend with his own two eyes. He had restlessly waited for Lucas to call and inform him that Brooke was awake, forcing himself to hold himself back from rushing to her house, as he wanted her to get as much sleep as she could after everything that had happened to her, but now that Lucas announced that Brooke had woken up, Nathan wasn't going to let anything else delay him from going to see her. Or so he thought…

"Wait! You should come a bit later-" Lucas tried to say, yet Nathan had had it. He couldn't believe who the hell Lucas thought he was to be telling him when to see or not to see Brooke.

"Lucas, I swear to god! This is not a game-" Nathan, who was getting worked up, snapped at Lucas, thinking that he was trying to prevent him from coming over to Brooke's house now that she had let him be with her. He knew that Brooke would need all the support she could get and therefore couldn't believe how Lucas dared to tell him off. Lucas, however, quickly understood that Nathan misunderstood him and cut into his brother's speech.

"Hey, calm down, Nate… I'm just taking her to the doctor's right now, that's all. I just thought that you wouldn't want to wait here until we get back…" Lucas calmly clarified, understanding that his brother had snapped at him due to the tension he felt because of Brooke's state. He didn't mean in any way to suggest that he had more rights to be with Brooke, he was simply thinking of his brother's best interest, but he truly couldn't hold Nathan's behavior against him after everything that happened to Brooke.

Indeed, the proof that Nathan's outburst was caused solely by his concern for Brooke was immediately given to Lucas, as his explanation instantly changed his brother's tone from angry to concerned and alarmed. "What's wrong with her? Did anything happen?" Nathan questioned worriedly, the word 'doctor' causing alarming bells to start ringing in his head.

"No… She's the same as she was yesterday, but that bastard really did a number on her neck… The paramedic in the police station took a look at her, but he wanted her to be checked by her doctor this morning…" Lucas elaborated with a sigh as images and sounds of the previous night's horrible events suddenly attacked his mind.

"God! I just can't believe this!!" Nathan exclaimed with anger and frustration, "I should have never let her leave our place so soon!" he guiltily said, feeling as if he could have saved Brooke from the previous night's attack if he would have made her stay at his house for a bit longer, despite her refusal.

"I don't think that would have made any difference…" Lucas sighed, remembering how Brooke had told him that her attacker had been following her everywhere, lurking around the corner and simply waiting for the opportunity to find her unprotected and to harm her. Nathan, however, knew nothing of this new revelation and therefore frowned upon hearing his brother's words.

"What are you talking about, Luke? Of course it would have made a difference! She had been doing so well these past few days and-"

"She thinks that Victoria is behind this" Lucas interrupted, his words causing Nathan to close his eyes and grab his head with his free hand. This was truly becoming too much and if it was too much for him to simply grasp, he could only imagine how Brooke was doing…

Both brothers were silent for several moments, both wordlessly communicating their growing concern for their mutual friend. After a short while, Nathan was about to further question his brother regarding the events of the previous night, but it was Lucas who beat him to breaking the silence and spoke first.

"Listen, Nate- I think I heard Brooke opening her door, so I've gotta go… I'll see you at her place in about an hour?" he suggested briefly, hearing Brooke coming down the stairs and wanting to return his attention to her as soon as possible.

"Sure" Nathan understanding agreed, "Take care of her…" was all he asked for before hanging up and allowing Lucas to turn around, just in time to be met by Brooke.

"Hey…" Lucas tried to smile at Brooke reassuringly as he watched her hugging her arms around herself protectively and biting onto her lower lip, "Are you ready to go to the doctor's?" he carefully placed his hand on Brooke's back and questioned gently, realizing that the girl before him was truly fighting to keep it together. Ever since she had woken up, Lucas had been able to see that the attack had hit Brooke hard. She would repeatedly bite her lip, fighting against her tears, which were constantly pooling in her eyes, she seemed to flinch due to any sound or movement and even with no reason at all, and even though she tried to hide it from him, Lucas was able to see how her hands wouldn't stop trembling. She was undoubtedly a wreck, and even though Lucas knew that her doctor wouldn't be able to fix that, he wanted to have assurance that she was at least going to be alright physically. Therefore, when Brooke softly nodded to him, a weak whimper accidently escaping her tightly pursed lips, Lucas knew no better but to gently pull Brooke into his side and escort her to his car. Unfortunately, Lucas was forced to acknowledge that Brooke was just as shattered as he feared she would be. He just hoped that he would be able to do the right things to help her pick the pieces back together…

* * *

By the time that Brooke and Lucas returned from the doctor's appointment, Nathan had already arrived at Brooke's house. As Lucas opened up the door with one hand, wrapping the other around Brooke protectively, he found his brother waiting in the living room with Rachel. Even though it was obvious to Lucas that both Nathan and Rachel were anxious to hear how Brooke was doing, he was glad that they were able to restrain themselves from springing on her with questions when they saw her state, as she was barely holding herself together as it was.

They all remained awkwardly silent as Brooke and Lucas made their way from the front door to the unoccupied part of the couch, yet as the duo almost reached Nathan and he could see just how tightly Brooke was clutching onto Lucas' side and how her body was shaking against Lucas' form, Nathan could no longer sit down calmly.

"Brooke…" he rose to his feet and stood before her, studying her worriedly. He took one more step towards Brooke, wanting to get an even better look at her, but instantly backed up when he saw how she flinched and recoiled into Lucas' body in discomfort.

"Hey, it's just me, Brooke… I'm not gonna hurt you…" Nathan tried to make Brooke see, heartbroken to witness her in such a terrible state that she would actually be afraid of him.

"It's O.K., Brooke…" Lucas tried to come to his brother's aid, stroking up and down Brooke's tensed up arms and speaking to her gently, yet Brooke responded by slipping out of his secure grip and wrapping her arms around herself. Much to Lucas' concern, she distanced herself from him and started walking towards the stairs on her own, her body beginning to shake more and more violently the farther away she grew from his reassuring presence.

"Hey, come here…" Lucas tried to follow Brooke and pull her back to his side as he witnessed how the distance she had created between them affected Brooke, yet before he could reach Brooke's retreating form, he felt Rachel's firm grip pulling him back.

"Let her go" she told him as they both watched their shaky friend disappearing into the second story of her house, "She needs time to process this on her own…" Rachel said, knowing how much Brooke needed to release the emotions she had been pushing back all day and realizing that she would only allow herself to let go when she would be alone.

Lucas seemed to understand Rachel and they both joined Nathan on the couch, each one of them drowning into his or her own private thoughts about the girl that had just fled upstairs. Soon enough, they all closed their eyes in unison as they received proof to Rachel's words, when the sounds of Brooke turning on the water in the shower were heard and immediately Brooke's heart-wrenching sobs blended in them.

"Let her be…" Rachel needed to grip both Scott brothers and pull them back to her sides on the couch, as they both instinctively wanted to rush to Brooke and make her pain go away upon hearing her crying. Rachel was also keen on helping out her friend, but she knew her well enough to understand that Brooke currently needed her privacy, so she could freely let go of her tears and cleanse herself of the painful emotions that were lying heavily on her heart.

The three of them sat in silence, listening to the awful sounds of Brooke crying her heart out in the upstairs shower, where she thought she couldn't be heard. They could all feel their hearts aching more and more for their dear friend, who had suffered so much pain, too much pain for a single heart to carry…

"What did the doctor say?" Nathan finally asked. His hands were still tightly clenched to his sides in anger as they had been since he had seen Brooke's state, as he thought about the bastard who had made Brooke cry so brokenly, yet he tried to think productively and get over his rage in order to be able to make things better for Brooke.

"She needs to rest, and she can't strain her voice, but he says that she'll be fine physically…" Lucas quietly shared the doctor's professional opinion with Rachel and Nathan, his voice becoming even more somber and distant as he proceeded, "He thinks that she should see a psychologist, though… He believes that she is still in shock and feels that she will need professional help to get through this…" Lucas concluded, sighing heavily and sadly as the gravity of the situation once again hit him.

"I just can't believe this…" Nathan shook his head, his voice quiet, yet full of anger and frustration. Brooke had been through so much even before the previous night, that he would have never believed that more trouble could possibly be coming her way. She had been trying so hard and doing so well those past few days, that Nathan simply found it unfair that she would have to go through everything for a second time, and even though he considered Brooke to be one of the strongest women he knew, Nathan was truly worried that this experience would definitely be too much to recover from, even for her.

The room grew silent again as they all sadly listened to Brooke's heartbreaking cries, which gradually grew weaker and weaker and completely died out by the time she had turned the water off. Nathan waited for a few more minutes and upon seeing that Brooke wasn't coming back downstairs, could no longer hold himself back and rose to his feet, truly needing to check on his friend. By the looks that they were giving him, Nathan could understand that both Rachel and Lucas also wanted to go upstairs and see how Brooke was doing, but he was glad to see that neither one of them tried to stop him or accompany him, as he wasn't willing to back up right now. He didn't even know if he would be able to reach out to Brooke this time, as he had done after her first attack, but he felt like he needed to have some time alone with her so he could at least try…

As he reached Brooke's closed door, Nathan paused to take a deep breath. "Brooke, can I come in?" he carefully asked, knowing all too well that after the first attack, Brooke had reacted badly to anything that had been sprung on her without any preparation. "Are you decent?" Nathan tried again upon receiving no response to his first question, yet was once again met with silence. It occurred to Nathan that Brooke might be simply seeking privacy, but the need to check on her along with the possibility that something had actually happened to her caused Nathan to let out one final warning before opening the door, "Alright… I'm coming in…" he said, gently pushing Brooke's door.

As Brooke's room come to view, Nathan immediately spotted a fully clothed Brooke sitting by her window with her towel wrapped around her shoulders and with her back to him, in a position that caused him to painfully flash back to the first days after her first attack, when she had been positioned on the windowsill in his house and seemed so lost he had wanted to cry. As he carefully approached her, Nathan suddenly realized that the seemingly still girl he was looking at was actually trembling slightly, yet only when he was merely steps away from her did Nathan understand that she was not shivering out of cold, but actually trying to suppress the tears that were still silently flowing down her cheeks.

"Brooke…" Nathan sadly sighed, unable to stand seeing her so broken. "Come here…" he beckoned her, wanting to hug her and help relieve her sadness, but only causing her to rise to her feet and stumble backwards, away from him.

"Please, Nate…" when Nathan looked at her with confusion and hurt, not understanding what he had done to cause her to flinch away from him, Brooke begged, choking out a sob, "You can't be around me…" she told him, causing his heart to truly drop.

"Are you really this afraid of me, Brooke?" Nathan asked in shock, staring at her with sheer concern. He knew that this was definitely not a time to judge Brooke, but he had never thought that one of his own friends would be so frightened to be near him and seeing Brooke panic every time he tried to touch her truly hurt Nathan.

When Brooke shook her head and suddenly began to sob loudly, unable to hold back her emotions anymore, Nathan didn't know whether to feel relieved or even more worried. He helplessly remained in his place, not wanting to make a move that would cause Brooke to panic, and simply watched Brooke crying before him, his heart breaking more and more for her.

"I… just… I can't let him hurt… you too…" Brooke tried to explain through her cries, causing the hurt and anger that Nathan held in his heart to be replaced with confusion.

"What do you mean?" he softly asked, looking at her questioningly. When Brooke failed to reply and simply buried her face in her hands, unable to stop crying, Nathan could no longer stand back and watch her from the side.

"Come here…" he soothed as he gathered her into his embrace, this time happy to see that she didn't draw away and simply fell into his outstretched arms.

"This is too much…" Brooke suddenly croaked in a voice that was unhealthily raspy from her cries and from the abuse that it sustained and which made her confession even more heartbreaking for Nathan.

"I know, Brooke…" Nathan quietly replied as he hugged her tightly and let her cry, realizing that Brooke had just hit her breaking point.

"I can't handle this anymore, Nate… It's just… too much…" Brooke sobbed uncontrollably, completely falling apart in Nathan's arms.

"I know, Brooke, I know…" he hushed her, feeling tears of his own pricking in his eyes. Brooke had been so tough through everything that had been thrown her way, but there was just so much that one person could take, and Nathan couldn't blame Brooke for being unable to cope with yet another attack in such a short time. Understanding that he now had to be strong for her, Nathan pressed Brooke to him and began to gentle stroke her hair in brotherly pats.

"We're gonna get you through this, Brooke, I promise…" Nathan swore both to Brooke and to himself, not willing to let go of Brooke until she would be emotionally healed again. "Haley is already setting up the guestroom for you again and we'll all get you through this together…" Nathan tried to comfort Brooke, yet much to his horror, his words only worsened her outburst of sobs.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Nathan asked worriedly, "I'm not gonna let anyone hurt you again, Brooke, I promise" he said, inwardly cringing as Brooke drew away from him in response to his promises. He knew that he had given her the same oaths after her first attack and felt like Brooke was reluctant to return to his house because he had failed from keeping them and allowed her to be hurt by the same man again.

"Brooke…" he tried to reach out to her, yet Brooke once again backed away from him, crying even harder.

"I can't…" she cried, furiously shaking her head at Nathan, "I can't let him hurt you too…" she repeated, once again confusing Nathan.

"What are you talking about, Brooke?" Nathan softly asked her, refraining from touching her due to her obvious discomfort, yet remaining in a safe distance from her so that he could pull her back into his embrace if she would allow it again.

"The guy who did… he… he knows where you live… and where I live… and work… and I can't let him get to you guys too…" Brooke tried to explain through strangled sobs, finally making sense to Nathan.

"He's in jail, Brooke" Nathan confidently told her, wanting to reassure his hysterically frightened friend, "And the police is going to patrol around our houses and your store for the next few weeks" he said, now more than ever glad that he had a friend who worked in the police station and that assured him that he will take care of Brooke's safety. "You have nothing to worry about, Brooke. You'll be completely safe in our home…" he tried to convince her, yet Brooke once again shook her head as she cried.

"I can't, Nate… I just… I need to be here, O.K.? If something will happen to you or Haley because of me, I…"

"Nothing will happen, Brooke. We want you around and I'm sure you would rather not be alone now…" Nathan tried to reason with Brooke, insistent on having her move back to his house, so he could watch over her closely.

"I have Luke and Rachel… I'm not alone…" Brooke stubbornly shrugged, sniffling and biting onto her lower lip in an attempt to stop her tears from falling.

"Brooke…" Nathan uneasily said, feeling uncomfortable with leaving her behind after the events of the previous night.

"It just hurts so bad, you know?" Brooke slightly whimpered, tightening her hold on herself as she attempted to keep herself from crying.

"What does?" Nathan questioned softly. She suddenly seemed so small to him and so vulnerable, almost like a child, that Nathan wanted more than anything to wrap his arms around her and to wipe her tears away, but he refrained from doing so as he didn't want to distress her even more.

"To know that your own mother would actually physically harm you" she replied, barely holding back her sobs. When Nathan simply stared at her, not knowing what to say, Brooke could no longer maintain her brave act and couldn't help but break down all over again.

"Hey, you don't know that, Brooke…" Nathan tried to comfort her. Unable to hold back anymore, he pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly again, his strong arms trying to provide her with protection and security.

"He told me to let Victoria keep managing the company or else… I think that that's enough evidence…" Brooke revealed, silencing Nathan with this new information. When she allowed him to hug her and just continued crying, Nathan simply tightened his grip on her and tried to think about what he could say to repair his friend's shattered world.

"I promise you that Lucas and I will make sure that nobody ever hurts you like that again…" he finally said, meaning every word he had said. Ever since a bar fight had gotten him confined to a wheelchair, Nathan had tried to stay out of trouble and to remain from using his strength against others, but for Brooke, he was willing to do whatever it would take to keep her safe…

Nathan continued holding onto Brooke until her cries finally died out and she gently pulled herself out of his arms, wiping her eyes and coughing slightly due to the state of her neck.

"You should get some rest, Brooke, you look exhausted…" Nathan told her, guiding her to her bed and raising the covers for her, so she could slide underneath them. He watched her as she did as she had been told, her breakdown truly taking its toll on her and making her too exhausted to argue with him.

"We'll get through this. O.K.?" Nathan promised Brooke as he tucked her in, watching her nod at him absentmindedly and gently wiping away the remainders of tears from her cheeks. He watched her for a few more minutes, making sure she had closed her eyes and had begun to rest before quietly leaving her room, sighing to himself heavily on his way downstairs.

When he reached the living room again, his eyes were immediately caught in his brother's helpless gaze. "What are we gonna do, Nate?" Lucas worriedly questioned him, not knowing how he was going to get his beloved friend through this.

"I don't know, Luke" Nathan sighed, feeling just as lost, "I don't know…"

* * *

**AN: I know, I know... It's becoming depressing, but what can I do? This is were the story has been leading itself... To all of you who are truly depressed by this chapter- I promise that even though everyone seems helpless right now- Brooke's friends will find a way to help her out and she will get better... Anyway- as always, thanks to everyone who's been reading this and of course- it would make me really happy to hear what you guys thought! That's all for now! ;-)**


	25. Chapter 25

**Hi guys! Long time no see... lol... I know it's my fault, but I had so much work, you wouldn't believe it! I really hope that everyone will enjoy this chapter (once again- it's a pretty long one) and I would definitely be grateful to hear your thoughts about it, so I could see that you guys are still into this story! ;-) BTW- I want to take this chance to say happy birthday to kempokarate12! I know that this is a REALLY belated birthday wish, but I still mean it, hun! I really hope that you and everyone else will like this chapter! ;-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 25**

It was dark. An eerily dark night. She was in the woods, frantically running in-between the large trees that towered above her and knotted in front of her, blocking her way. Her feet got tangled in branches and bushes, but she continued running for her life, trying to find a way out. Her breathing had grown rugged as her lungs suffocated from her exerting effort, but she just kept going, not knowing where her feet were leading her, but realizing that she just had to continue, or else…

The visions before her were a blur, just a haze of shadows and dark shapes, but her feet seemed to magically know the path that would lead her out of this haunted forest. She could feel herself growing short of breath, but she pushed herself to keep going, until one clear sight made her heart drop and caused her to freeze in the middle of the way.

It was him. The man who had hurt her twice, who had been haunting her for weeks, was standing right before her, grinning at her viciously and rubbing his hands in content.

"No… No!" she screamed, unwilling to allow him to keep terrorizing her, but her shaky feet, which had led her through the dark woods so faithfully, now failed her and kept her pinned to where she was standing.

"Get away!" she shouted with fright, watching her attacker in terror as he laughed to himself and advanced towards her.

"You asked for this, Brooke" she was suddenly shocked to see her mother appear from the darkness and stand in back of the huge man that was coming towards her, watching her with a satisfied smirk on her face.

"Stop! Get away from me!" Brooke pleaded as her attacker almost reached her, his strong, dirty hands stretching towards her neck, threatening to strangle her once again.

"Help! Please, help me!" Brooke begged whoever would be able to hear her, realizing that she was useless against this large man's force. She squeezed her eyes shut, fearfully anticipating the feeling of the this evil man's strong grasp fastening around her neck, when she could suddenly feel a gentle, yet firm hand starting to shake her body.

"Brooke! Brooke!" she was beyond relieved to hear Lucas' familiar voice, which allowed her to feel some safety in the midst of all the terror that had overcome her.

"Luke… help me…" she begged, keeping her eyes shut and body curled up in fear of finding out how close her attacker had managed to grow towards her.

"Brooke… Brooke…" Lucas' comforting voice called for her again as his hands shook her some more, "Wake up…"

Upon hearing Lucas' declaration that she had only been dreaming, Brooke managed to snap out of her nightmare and spring to a sitting position, clutching her blanket and trembling due to the affect of the disturbing images and sounds that attacked her in her sleep.

"Hey… You're O.K. now…" Lucas had immediately risen to a sitting position as well, pulling her shuddering body against his chest and running his hand along her side. He watched Brooke as she caught her breath, which had been racing due to the extreme fear her dream had planted in her heart, and began to rub her back in comforting motions when she finally fell against his chest and began to cry quietly.

It had been a routine for the past week, ever since Brooke had been attacked for the second time. She would be awakened every night by nightmares and would then cry herself back to sleep in Lucas' arms. Her days were slightly better, though not by much; she would nervously scurry around the house, jumping in fright at the smallest of sounds and starting to cry all of a sudden, without any warning at all. She refused to sketch, she ate very little and she didn't speak much, not only due to the still-existent bruising on her neck.

She had insisted on staying at her house, much to Nathan and Haley's dismay, but had agreed to let Lucas move in with her, as his presence did help her feel safer and had been truly grateful that he didn't even ask and automatically came to her bedroom every night, just to hold her in her sleep. Brooke knew that she would have never been able to ask him for that, but feeling his strong arms wrapped around her as the night brought along the darkness was the only thing that had made it possible for Brooke to get any sleep at all. She didn't even tell him that, but it was actually the only thing she would take comfort in at all those days…

As Lucas currently looked at the damaged porcelain doll that was breaking in his arms, he sighed heavily and pulled her slightly closer to his body, whispering sweet nothings into her ears just so she would stop crying. Even though this had been going on for a whole week, even though he had held her like that for seven nights in a row, it still managed to break his heart. He was also getting more and more worried, as nothing he had tried to do for her seemed to help Brooke get better. He had tried distracting her from the frightening thoughts about her attack by sitting her down to watch a romantic comedy she liked, but much to his horror, she had burst out crying and fled upstairs after twenty minutes. He had cooked her chocolate-chip pancakes- her favorite food in the world, but she just mumbled that she wasn't hungry and then walked up to her room. He had watched Haley, Nathan, Rachel and even Owen trying to reach out to her, but she either asked to be left alone or, in the better case- distantly sat next to them, biting onto her lower lip and wrapping her arms around herself as they spoke and she either remained silent or at times- slightly cried. Lucas had even taken her to a psychologist despite her wishes, as he didn't know what else to do, but the woman of profession told him that throughout their entire session, Brooke simply sat on the sofa and stared into space without saying a word or responding to anything she had said to her. He was officially desperate, but as he had promised Brooke and himself, he was going to stick by Brooke's side and somehow get her through this tough time.

When Brooke's strangled sobs finally turned into exhausted whimpers, Lucas took a deep breath, knowing that she would wear herself out and fall asleep soon. He hated to see her crying herself to sleep, but he knew that at least then she would be so tired that she would sleep until the morning.

"I'm sorry I woke you up, Luke…" Lucas could suddenly hear Brooke's small, sleepy voice whispering out in a mumble.

"It's O.K., baby… Get back to sleep…" he replied, kissing her forehead and wiping the wet trails of tears away from her face. He wrapped one hand tighter around her and soothingly stroked her body with the other, watching her quietly until her breaths finally evened out and she fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Feeling Brooke's body calmly moving against his with her soft, steady breaths started lolling Lucas back to sleep as well. Just when he felt his eyelids, which had been growing heavy, starting to droop over his eyes, he could hazily spot a red-headed figure carefully tiptoeing towards the entrance of Brooke's bedroom.

"Hey Rache…" Lucas scratchily whispered, trying to keep his voice calm and quiet, so the girl in his arms wouldn't wake up and so the girl facing him wouldn't become more alarmed than she already seemed to be.

"Is she alright?" Rachel worriedly asked, her voice hesitant and careful due to her growing concern towards her traumatized friend.

"She had a nightmare, but she's asleep again" Lucas honestly replied, his arms subconsciously wrapping around Brooke's body slightly tighter, in a protective manner. His tired blue eyes got caught in Rachel's concerned gaze and they both sighed. The two of them had an unspoken understanding not to allow Brooke to be left alone. She was with Rachel during the mornings and afternoons, when Lucas would go to train his grieving team, with Lucas at night, when she couldn't sleep without being held, and with them both during the rest of the day, in addition to Nathan and Haley, who came every day, whenever they could. Brooke was truly surrounded by all those who loved her the most, but this attack had pushed her so far that it seemed to all of them that no matter what they did, she still remained so detached that it was as if she was struggling against everything all alone.

As Rachel looked at her best friend, who was currently sleeping so angelically, she reminded Rachel of a fragile, innocent child, tears started welling in her eyes. This worriless image of her friend was so far away from the brutal, painful reality, in which Brooke's world was shattered completely, in which Brooke had not only lost her innocence long ago, but had also suffered from so much heartache that it was actually only possible for her to seem peaceful when she was sleeping, that Rachel truly felt like crying.

"We have to do something, Lucas" Rachel said, trying to push back her tears and eliminate the shakiness of her voice in order to sound strong, "She's not getting better and I just can't see her like this anymore…" she sighed heavily, sounding so sad that Lucas immediately replied.

"Hey… I know that it's tough right now, but things will get better, Rachel" he soothingly whispered, glancing briefly at the girl he was cradling in his arms and making sure that she was sleeping soundly before he continued, "Brooke will be back to herself soon and I promise you that I'm not going anywhere until we get her back, O.K.?" Lucas softly reassured, kissing Brooke's temple calmingly as she shifted against him in her sleep and soon settled back into the safety of his arms, "Right, pretty girl?" he mumbled to the sleeping girl as he stared at her with affection, not even aware of the meaningful old nickname that had just slipped out of his lips.

As Rachel took in the sight of the duo and the perfect way in which they fit in each other's arms, she suddenly realized something, "You still love her, don't you?" she quietly asked Lucas, not as an accusation or as an angry declaration, but more like a newly formed understanding. It was such an unexpected question, however, that Lucas remained silent and shocked for several seconds before a verbal response rolled out of his mouth.

"I'm gonna be there for her no matter what, and right now all she needs is a good friend, so that's all that I am at the moment" he gave her the rational answer he knew was the appropriate one to give, yet the more he thought about it, the more it became clear to him that the true response to Rachel's question was yes. Even though he would never act upon his feelings towards Brooke when she was in such a vulnerable state, he now realized that ever since he had returned to Tree Hill, the eternally existent affection he felt towards Brooke Davis turned into something deeper.

"Just be careful, Lucas" Rachel warned, not buying his oral response at all, "her heart is shattered as it is…" she added sadly, her eyes moving from Lucas' heartbroken gaze and over to her best friend's sleeping form. She sorrowfully watched her for several moments before silently walking back to her bedroom, leaving Brooke in the care of Lucas. She just hoped that she was right to believe that he could help Brooke get better and she just prayed that she was right to trust him around Brooke and around the scattered pieces of Brooke's crushed and damaged heart…

* * *

_"__**Clothes Over Bros' Sales Drop Due to Management Changes, Enabling 'Tiffany's Closet' to Profit**__: Ted Smith, Co-Manager of 'Tiffany's Closet' Says- 'Without Brooke Davis' designs- Clothes over Bros' won't be able to even wish to compete with our new, fresh spring line'"_

"Shit" Rachel threw the newspaper she was reading onto the table with frustration after reading the discouraging headline regarding Brooke's company. Her outburst had broken the tranquil silence that had spread throughout the house that afternoon, when Lucas had joined Nathan and had gone to practice with the team and Haley came over for a quiet visit, but Rachel just couldn't help herself. With everything she was dealing with already, Rachel knew that Brooke couldn't handle learning that her company was in trouble and that her store's greatest fashion rival- _Tiffany's Closet_ was actually benefiting from the situation. For once, she was actually grateful that Brooke had refused to come downstairs with her and Haley and had insisted on remaining in her room, as right now it enabled her to hide the newspaper, so Brooke wouldn't be able to see the disturbing article in it.

"What are you doing, Rachel?" Haley, who just came back downstairs after checking on Brooke, asked in confusion as she watched Rachel stuffing the newspaper into one of the pockets of her jacket.

"More bad news…" Rachel sighed as she pulled the newspaper back out and handed it over to Haley, "Why am I not even surprised?" she pondered out loud, realizing how much they had all dealt with those past few weeks to be in a situation in which they were actually expecting something to go wrong.

"Oh my god… This is bad…" Haley commented after briefly scanning through the article, "If Brooke sees this, she'll lose it…" she worriedly said, giving Rachel the newspaper back and allowing her to safely bury it away in the inner pouch of her coat.

"If Brooke sees this, she'll be even more convinced that Victoria is the one behind her attack…" Rachel agreed and added, sharing Haley's concern. In the week that had gone by since her attack, Brooke's attacker had been repeatedly interrogated by the police officers, but had refused to admit that Victoria had been the one who had sent him to harm Brooke. He couldn't argue with the evidence that convicted him of being the attacker, as the security guards at _Tric_ declared that they had seen him in action and moreover- the club's security tape clearly filmed him strangling Brooke, yet the police hadn't been able to prove that Victoria Davis was behind this attack yet. Even though she had been questioned several times, she repeatedly insisted that she had nothing to do with her daughter being physically harmed, and the police could therefore only give her a restraining order that prevented her from coming near Brooke, but had no choice but to release her. Even though Brooke continued telling her friends that she was certain that Victoria had been the one to instruct the goon who had assaulted her, Rachel could see that the police's inability to convict Victoria was giving Brooke slight hope that maybe it wasn't Victoria's fault after all. Therefore, she understood that if Brooke would learn that the company was in trouble and that Victoria was probably under a lot of pressure to prevent the possibility of Brooke's return to it, she would lose the little hope that she was secretly clinging to.

"We can't let her see this right now…" Haley decided and Rachel nodded in agreement, knowing that Brooke needed to get stronger before they could possibly break the upsetting news to her. She was just about to verbally express her consent with Haley, when they both suddenly heard someone ringing the doorbell, a sound that was followed by a crash originating from upstairs. The two girls glanced at each other briefly, alarm evident in both of their eyes, and then quickly nodded at each other in understanding and each went her own way- Rachel fleeing upstairs to check on Brooke and Haley walking over to the front door, to see who was the unexpected visitor.

"Who is it?" Haley made sure to ask before opening the door, suddenly remembering that just one week before, there had been a man who had been watching every move Brooke had made.

"It's George from _Clothes over Bros'_ board of directors" came the reassuring reply, which caused Haley to let out a breath she didn't even realize that she had been holding "May I come in?" he politely asked, only now making Haley realize that he was still standing behind a closed door.

"Of course…" Haley said, quickly opening up the door for the man and stepping aside, so he could enter the house.

"Please- sit down…" Haley gestured towards the sofa in the living room and politely offered, receiving a thankful nod from George, who smiled at her kindness, yet remained standing.

"I'm fine, thank you" he told her, "I would like to talk to Brooke, if it's possible", he said, his voice maintaining its natural pleasant warmth, even though he had cut to the chase so quickly.

"Actually, now isn't such a good time" Haley awkwardly replied, looking at him with apologetic eyes, "Brooke has a lot on her plate right now… I'm sure you've heard…" she explained, trying to be as subtle as she could about Brooke's concerning condition. She was worried that George had come to tell Brooke about the sales deficit that _Clothes over Bros' _had sustained, and therefore felt the need to protect Brooke and stop him. Knowing that the man held such a powerful position in Brooke's company, however, caused her to paint a milder picture of things, as she most certainly didn't want to cause Brooke to lose her company altogether because of her.

"Unfortunately I did…" George replied, bowing his head sadly for a moment as he acknowledged the fact, "Look- I'm not here to make things hard on Brooke. I was actually thinking that getting back to work might distract her from everything that had happened…" he made his offer open, causing Haley to raise an eyebrow skeptically.

"I don't really think that what Brooke needs right now is to be around Victoria" she said straightforwardly, not caring what the outcome of her words would be as she had been around Brooke and she knew for a fact that being in the same room with Victoria Davis was something that her friend was definitely not capable of doing at the moment.

"I know…" much to her surprise, George had actually agreed with her, his voice etched with slight defeat as he admitted this fact.

"Oh?" Haley stared at him in confusion, not understanding how he could want Brooke to return to work if he agreed with her on the fact that Brooke couldn't cooperate with her mother with the way things were.

"Look- you seem like a truly good friend of Brooke's, but I'd really rather discuss the business matters with her…" George gently said, not wanting to insult Haley, but preferring to leave the company matters with those who they concerned. "I can understand that now is not an appropriate time, but will you please tell her to give me a call and schedule a meeting with me sometime during this weekend?" he asked and immediately added, "I will be staying in the _Tree Hill Inn_ for the next few days. She knows my number and any time would be alright for her to call."

"Of course, George" Haley smiled, sounding truly relieved, "Thank you for understanding…" she added, genuinely grateful that he seemed to be honestly considerate of Brooke and was giving them time to prepare her for the conversation with him.

"Of course" he replied with a small smile, turning around and finding his way out.

Haley took a deep breath, closing her eyes and rubbing them wearily. Things were spiraling more and more out of control, that Haley could barely keep up with them. With the headache she was getting just from trying to figure out what George had up his sleeve, Haley could only imagine what Brooke was experiencing by being in the center of all this mess.

Suddenly remembering that she had heard a crash originating from Brooke's bedroom just before George had entered the house, Haley quickly started making her way upstairs, truly hoping that Brooke hadn't hurt herself, on top of everything that was already going on.

"Brooke? Is everything O.K. with you, sweetie?" Haley couldn't help herself and asked even before she had made it all the way upstairs, yet arrived at Brooke's room before she received an answer. As the lack of response had made her truly concerned, Haley was truly relieved to find Brooke sitting on her bed with Rachel all on in piece, seemingly alright, once she reached Brooke's doorstep.

"Hey, honey- I heard a crash- did anything happen?" Haley tried again as she walked towards Brooke, hoping that she would be more keen on responding once she was facing her.

"I fell off the bed…" she quietly mumbled, her eyes lost in space, causing Haley's eyes to widen.

"Brooke…" Haley gasped worriedly, quickly checking Brooke with her eyes to assess the damage.

"I'm fine, Haley" Brooke distantly replied and shrugged, and indeed Haley was comforted to find no visible bruising on Brooke rather than the healing, week-old contusions on her neck.

"Listen, Brooke…" once she was confident enough that Brooke was truly fine, Haley tried to start easing the news of George's visit on Brooke, yet before she could go any further, Brooke had cut into her speech.

"Who was at the door?" she nervously questioned, her eyes finally coming up to look at Haley and her raspy voice louder than before and filled with fear, uncertainty and rising panic.

"It was George from your company, sweetie" Haley was quick to respond once she observed how tense Brooke seemed to be becoming. As she saw the puzzlement in her friend's hazel eyes, she sighed and quickly grabbed a chair and sat down, facing Brooke. She grabbed Brooke's hand in hers, giving it a supportive squeeze and glanced at Rachel's confused face for a moment, before starting to speak.

"George came here to talk to you, Brooke. He said that he'll be in town for a few days and will wait for you to call him when you can" Haley explained, her thumb rubbing soothing circles on Brooke's palm in an attempt to help her remain calm.

"What does he want?" Brooke asked in a small, shaky voice, looking away from Haley as she started feeling her uncertainty and vulnerability starting to creep up on her again.

"Honey- I think he wants you to come back to work for the company…" Haley gently revealed, causing Brooke's shocked, frightened eyes to fly up from the floor over to her own eyes, and Rachel to exclaim in disapproval.

"Is this guy completely out of his mind or what?! She's been through hell because of this company only one week ago and he's expecting her to come back whenever he snaps his fingers like nothing has happened??" Rachel questioned in anger and astonishment, unable to believe her ears.

"I can't do this…" Brooke suddenly rose from her spot and tensely said, panic already rising in her voice. Pacing back and forth across the room and looking away from her friends, she shakily continued, "I'm sorry for being weak, Haley, but I just can't pretend to be O.K. about going back to work with the same person who…"

"Hey…" Haley stopped Brooke before she could go any further. Rising up and coming over to her, she also halted Brooke's frantic strides throughout the room by gently grabbing onto Brooke's arms and forcing her to stay put in one spot, "You are not weak, Brooke Davis, and you most certainly have nothing to apologize for. Do you understand?"

"Haley…" Brooke awkwardly said, her eyes not shamefully glued to the floor, refraining from meeting Haley's gaze.

"I understand that you're not ready to face Victoria yet, but from the sounds of it- I think that George might be willing to let go of Victoria for your sake, Brooke…" Haley told her distressed friend what she inferred from George's confusing words, trying to reassure her, but not succeeding in unnerving her.

"I don't know, Haley… I…" it was so clear that Brooke was uncomfortable, that Haley immediately cut her off.

"Listen, Brooke- nobody is forcing you to do anything, but at least give him a call and hear him out" Haley suggested, truly believing that this was what Brooke needed to do, "I know how much you love this company, Brooke, and maybe this is your chance to regain control over it" she pointed out, causing Brooke to fall into a pensive silence and Rachel to frown with displeasure.

"Haley, can I talk to you for a moment?" Rachel asked, not even waiting for Haley's response before pulling the shorter girl out of Brooke's room, leaving their friend standing where she had been placed, lost in her thoughts. As soon as the two of them were out of Brooke's hearing range, Rachel let go of Haley's arm and stared at her with anger and confusion, "What do you think you're doing?" she heatedly whispered through gritted teeth, not wanting Brooke to hear them, yet feeling like she needed to tell Haley off for bringing up a suggestion that managed to upset Brooke so much.

"What?" Haley asked. She had realized that Brooke was liable to have mixed emotions about her declaration, yet was truly starting to think that if they would be by her side, Brooke might be able to take this leap forward.

"She's not even eating like a normal, healthy person yet and you expect her to be able to handle an entire company again?" Rachel made sure to remind Haley of the gravity of the situation, causing her to sadly sigh before she spoke.

"What if only when she'll regain her appetite for sketching, she'll be able to regain her appetite for food…" Haley pointed out, effectively silencing Rachel for a moment.

"I hope you're right about this" Rachel finally replied in a warning manner, after quietly thinking for a moment. She was desperate to see Brooke finally getting better so she was willing to let Haley do whatever she thought could improve her friend's condition, yet if this act would eventually cause Brooke to become even worse, she was definitely planning on blaming Haley for it.

"So do I…" Haley quietly mumbled as the two of them made their way back to Brooke. She was aware that pushing Brooke back to work was a risk and she truly hoped that it would be worth it, as she knew that she wouldn't be able to forgive herself if this move would only cause Brooke more pain.

Once Rachel and Haley arrived back at Brooke's bedroom, they were surprised to find her finishing a conversation on her cell-phone- the first one she had had since the attack at _Tric_.

"Brooke?" Rachel looked at her questioningly as she approached her, followed by Haley, who was just as inquisitive.

"I called George" Brooke quietly replied, looking at Rachel with her beautiful, vulnerable hazel eyes and continuing to speak in a slightly shaky voice, "I think I'm gonna try to do this…"

"Sweetie, are you sure?" Rachel looked deeply into Brooke's orbs and questioned, wanting to be certain that Brooke wasn't stressing herself too much with the decision she made.

"Sure about what?" the three girls suddenly heard a masculine voice coming from the entrance of the room. All three of them jumped in surprise before whirling to look towards the origin of the familiar voice and finding Lucas, who had slipped into the house without being noticed, standing by the door.

"Sorry… I didn't mean to frighten you…" he quickly apologized. Receiving understanding nods from all three girls, Lucas felt like he could go back to his original question, "Brooke- what's going on?"

"I'm going to have a meeting with George from my company tomorrow" Brooke revealed, trying to sound as confident as she could with her raspy, harmed voice. When Lucas just stared at her with concern and didn't say a word, the insecurity she had been trying to suppress became truly visible.

"Luke… Will you come with me, please?" she looked at him with her big, pleading eyes, to which he could never say no.

"Of course I will, Brooke… We'll do this together" he promised, pulling her into his arms, immediately causing her to feel like maybe things really could go back to normal in the end…

* * *

Brooke nervously tapped her fingers on top of her car's plastic door-handle, absentmindedly staring through the window. It was the day of her meeting with George, and even though her friends managed to make her feel confident about her decision, now that she and Lucas were about to reach George's hotel and have the actual meeting, she was starting to have second thoughts about it. She wanted to believe that returning to her company could truly help her soul heal from all the trauma she had suffered from, but she just didn't know if she would be able to be strong enough to handle everything again. It made her truly nervous to think that by trying to rush her return to _Clothes over Bros'_ she was liable to ruin everything even more and she really felt like this crucial meeting was going to either make or break her.

Brooke was so caught up in her worries and insecurities, that she didn't even notice that Lucas had pulled over at the hotel's parking lot. Only when Lucas gently placed his hand over her fidgeting fingers, stopping their tense dance on the car's door, did she finally realize that they had arrived.

"What's on your mind, babe?" Lucas softly questioned and gave Brooke a reassuring smile as he started tracing soothing patterns on her small palm, which he held in his hand.

"Nothing… I just hope I'll do O.K...." Brooke replied, slightly breathlessly, quite evidently anxious and a bit frightened about the meeting she was about to attend.

"You'll do great, Brooke…" Lucas reassured her with a genuine grin, wanting to show her how much he believed in her. When she first told him that she wanted to see George, he had been concerned, but after seeing the evident improvement in her condition since the previous day- he was much more at ease and actually began to believe that this might be what would pull Brooke back up; since her phone call to George the previous day- she started eating more and was more communicative and open than on the other days since the second attack, she seemed to be more composed and less emotional and she had actually slept through the night, tossing and turning, but not waking up from any nightmares. As he looked at her at the moment- at this beautiful girl who was slightly pale and looked a bit vulnerable and scared, but seemed to be a slightly similar version of the Brooke Davis he was used to, Lucas felt like this might be the chance to get her back on her feet. Therefore, Lucas was truly hoping that if he would help Brooke be confident, she would be able to do well in the conversation with George and would then be able to slowly get back to being the happy, lively person that they all knew and loved. However, as he noticed the uncertain expression that was currently plastered on her face, Lucas realized that before he could afford to visualize the cheery Brooke he missed so dearly, he would need to work some more on helping her relax.

"What if I don't?" Brooke's shaky question proved to Lucas that he had read Brooke's expression correctly, "What am I doing, Luke? I don't know why I thought I could do this…" Brooke nervously said, her heart beginning to beat at a speedy pace as she began to truly panic.

"Hey, hey… Look at me, Brooke" Lucas shifted on his seat and carefully pulled Brooke so that they were facing one another. He gently cupped her cheek and brushed over it with his thumb, until Brooke hesitantly raised her eyes up to him, "You can do this, alright? You are strong and brilliant and so talented that George would be a fool to turn you down" he told her, smiling at her in an attempt to show her that he meant what he said, that she could do this, "This is your company, Brooke, and if you feel ready to get it back- I'll do whatever I can to help you" he told her, the confidence in his voice helping Brooke feel more at ease, enabling her to be sure of herself again.

"Thank you, Luke" she took a deep breath and said, forcing herself to give him a small smile. She was still tense, but with Lucas at her side, she felt like she had someone who would catch her, even if she would fall.

"I didn't even mention that with how beautiful you look right now, there is no chance that George will say no to anything you want…" Lucas attempted to lighten the mood and smiled as he saw that his joke had been successful and that Brooke was now genuinely laughing a bit. Truth be told, he had only been half kidding, as he truly thought that Brooke looked gorgeous with the simple red dress she had chosen to wear for the meeting and the light makeup she had applied in order to look less pale and more presentable.

"Come on…" Lucas smiled back at the small brunette who was facing him, now seeming to be much more in ease, "Let's rock this meeting!" he said, climbing out of his seat and circling the car to open the door up for Brooke and grab her hand. They were definitely in this together and no matter what would be the outcome of this business conversation- Lucas was certainly intending to have Brooke's back…

* * *

"Hi" Brooke's voice came out as such a soft, scratchy whisper, with such clear traces of the way the attack had taken its toll on it, that Lucas immediately put his hand on the small of Brooke's back for support. The two of them were standing in front of the entrance to George's hotel room, where they had agreed to meet, and despite the fact that the kind-looking man that they were facing was smiling at them calmingly, Lucas felt the need to let Brooke know that he was there, as he realized that the insecurity she projected was not the way she had wished to start her conversation with George.

"Hello, Brooke" much to her relief, George replied by giving her a genuine smile and seemed to be truly pleased to see her, choosing to disregard how she seemed to be uncharacteristically distant, "Hello to you too…" George politely greeted Lucas, "It's nice to meet you, mister…"

"Lucas Scott, I'm a friend of Brooke's" Lucas quickly stretched his hand forwards and shook the hand that George was offering him, "It's nice to meet you too, sir" he said, using the hand that George wasn't holding to stroke up and down Brooke's lower back, as if saying to her that they were doing good.

"No need to call me "sir", Lucas- "George" will do fine" George corrected Lucas in a friendly way, receiving an appreciating nod from the younger man, "And now both of you- please come in" he invited, and Lucas was beyond grateful that this man was so considerate of what Brooke seemed to need that he hadn't questioned Brooke's decision to have someone escorting her for this meeting. The two of them did as they were told and entered George's suite, Lucas' comforting touch only leaving Brooke once they were seated side by side at a comfortable distance- far enough so that Brooke could seem professional enough to handle a business meeting, but close enough so that Brooke could still feel safe with Lucas' comforting presence by her side.

"So Brooke…" George soon settled on a chair, facing Brooke and looking at her sincerely, "How have you been doing, dear?" he warmly questioned, looking at her with sheer care in his eyes. Even though he was very fond of Brooke, George would seldom refer to a colleague in an affectionate name of this sort, but this occasion was truly different. Not only was he old enough to be Brooke's father, but ever since he had first seen her in her store after the first attack had occurred- he had felt a sense of fatherly protectiveness over her, which only increased once he learned that not only did Brooke's mother not comfort and protect Brooke after she had been hurt, but had actually become the main suspect of the terrible crime.

George's kind way of treating her truly caught Brooke off guard and caused her to blink in surprise for a few times before being able to open her mouth and honestly say, "I'm getting better, George… I may not seem like what you're used to, but I'm really getting there…"

"I'm very glad to hear that, Brooke" George candidly replied, giving Brooke such a warm smile that she was finally able to feel slightly more at ease. She returned George's smile with one of her own, yet still couldn't help but feel slightly apprehensive as she was still uncertain about what he wanted to tell her.

As if he was able to read her mind, George, who picked up on Brooke's well-hidden, yet existent hesitation, calmingly spoke, "Look, Brooke- I would certainly like you to know that I am not against you. I truly believe that this is _your_ company, but having said that- my job is to do whatever is best for_ Clothes over Bros'_" he said, pausing to look at Brooke with sincere eyes.

"Are you saying that Victoria is better for the company than me?" Brooke seriously asked, working hard to keep her voice strong and to mask the hurt that she was feeling.

"Not at all" George immediately replied, softening his voice and gaze as he realized that Brooke completely misunderstood him. "I actually hold the exact opposite belief, and just because of that I need to make sure that now would be the right time for you to return" George said, and upon seeing that Brooke was staring at him quietly, with perplexed eyes, took the liberty to elaborate, "Brooke, this company truly needs you, dear, and that is the precise reason why I can't risk stressing you out by forcing you to return before you're ready. I need to make sure that you're well enough before-"

"I'm ready" Brooke cut into his speech and declared, "If you don't believe me, you can take a look at Lucas- he's wearing the designs of my new clothing line, which will take _Clothes over Bros'_ to the next level- the first designs from the _Clothes for Bros'_ line" Brooke added, and even though her voice was soft and unhealthily scratchy, the determination and famous fighter's spark that her tone was suddenly refilled with were all that George needed. He silently looked at Lucas' clothes for several moments, a satisfied, impressed smile forming on his lips as he acknowledged Brooke's greatness, which didn't fail her even in a bad state such as the one she was experiencing. Moving his eyes back to Brooke, George finally spoke.

"Here's what we'll do, Brooke- I want you to take two weeks and put up the best presentation with the best designs you can come up with. In two weeks you'll secretly show the entire board what you've got and if all goes well- you will immediately and permanently regain your place as head of the company- meaning you'll be able to instantly replace Victoria if you wish, before she even knows that her place is at risk" he revealed, putting a grateful, relieved smile on Brooke's face as she realized that she wouldn't have to handle the unbearable experience of working with the woman that she believed had tried to harm her.

"I appreciate this, George. I will not disappoint you" she replied, trying to use the new strength she was suddenly filled with to push herself to remain as professional and composed as she could, even though she almost felt like crying from relief and happiness.

"You already have me on your side…" George revealed in a whisper, his tone losing any sense of distant professionalism and expressing nothing but a friendly, fatherly care that pinched Brooke's heart; If only her mother could care for her like that…

"Thank you" Brooke softly said, her emotions already evident in her voice. She rose from her chair and advanced towards George, followed closely by Lucas. Extending her hand towards the kind man, who had just given her so much hope back, Brooke was surprised when he took her hand, yet also covered it with his other hand, burying her palm in between his larger ones, as if trying to give her momentary fatherly protection. Truth be told, she already had to admit that this hadn't been the cold business talk she had dreaded, but more like a supportive conversation with a caring friend, yet George's simple gesture made that even more clear to her.

"I'll see you soon, Brooke. Take care…" George said to Brooke as he followed her and Lucas towards the entrance of the room.

"Bye George. Thank you again…" Brooke bid him goodbye with a genuine smile once she was out the door. As the two men beside her shook hands, Brooke couldn't help but feel her heart swell with bliss. It was as if she had gotten her life back in a moment, as if the hope she had needed in order to get better had just been returned to her. As she felt Lucas gently placing his hand on the small of her back as the two of them walked back to her car, Brooke's smile widened even more, bringing out her lovely dimples for the first time since she had been attacked at _Tric_. She felt so good and protected with Lucas, and he had been so patient, kind and good to her lately, that she couldn't help but be happy that he had been with her at this time, to share a happy moment and not only the many tough ones she had recently had.

"What are you smiling at, cheery?" Lucas questioned with a grin once they were back in the parking lot, stroking up and down Brooke's back affectionately in order to help her feel warm in the cool evening air. It felt so wonderful to finally be able to see Brooke content for a change, that Lucas immediately felt happy as well and upon seeing more and more traces of the girl he used to know returning to the broken one he had been comforting all week long, Lucas couldn't help but call her in the old nickname that suited her usual vivacious personality.

"I'm getting my company back, Luke…" Brooke replied as they reached her car and paused in front of it, her voice filled with shock and disbelief, as if she had just now started realizing what this meeting had truly meant. As Lucas rubbed up and down her back and chuckled happily, sharing her joy with her, Brooke felt her bliss overtaking her, as she truly acknowledged the fact, "I'm getting my company back!" she ecstatically shrieked, unable to contain the happiness that suddenly washed over her, causing Lucas to let out a wholehearted laugh.

Still controlled by this powerful wave of bliss, Brooke didn't even realize what she was doing until she suddenly found herself throwing herself into Lucas arms, crashing her lips against his with a kiss. Only after her mouth was already attached to his, her lips assaulting Lucas' ones, did her senses finally come back to her. She couldn't believe what she had just done, especially considering the fact that Lucas had refrained from kissing her back in the beginning, and was now only hesitantly kissing her back.

Abruptly pulling away from Lucas and putting a shaky hand on her swollen lips, Brooke looked at Lucas with wide, terrified eyes. He had been so good to her all this time and she felt like she had now crossed the line and ruined everything with this stupid, thoughtless move she had made. As she took in the silence and realized with how much shock Lucas seemed to be looking at her, Brooke felt her heart beginning to race in panic. She felt that in one moment in which she had lost control of her actions and thoughts, she had also managed to lose Lucas' friendship.

"I'm sorry, Luke…" she breathlessly mumbled, starting to back away from him as tears formed in her eyes. She whirled away from Lucas and started running in the direction that her legs had decided to take her. Just like in her dream, she had no idea where she was going and only knew that she had to get away. Just like in her dream, she suddenly found herself in an alarming nightmare, now in one that had meant that she had lost the one person who had made her feel completely safe lately. And just like in her dream- she prayed to be able to wake up, only now she couldn't…

* * *

**AN: For all of you guys waiting for a Brucas kiss- I know that this isn't exactly what you wanted, but trust me- I will also bring back the romance soon... ;-) I really hope that this chapter was believable enough, as I know that Brooke went through a few phases in it... Please tell me what you felt. This is all until next time! ;-)**


	26. Chapter 26

**Hi guys! I know that I've been away forever, but you can definitely blame my exams for that... It's truly been a tough month of constant studying, but luckily for me (and those of you who have been waiting for an update)- that's almost over now! Anyway- I definitely want to say that your wonderful reviews kept this story in my mind all the time and pushed me to work on this update in the middle of this busy month. I would especially like to thank _Bella_ (sophiannabella) for being the most amazing person there could be- for pushing me to write and for supporting me through a discouraging few days I've been having, _Todd_- for still liking me and for supporting me as well, and _stagediva23_- for also reminding me that people were still waiting for this update! You guys are the best- I couldn't have done this without you! So on that note- here's the new chapter- enjoy! ;-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Last Time**

_Still controlled by this powerful wave of bliss, Brooke didn't even realize what she was doing until she suddenly found herself throwing herself into Lucas arms, crashing her lips against his with a kiss. Only after her mouth was already attached to his, her lips assaulting Lucas' ones, did her senses finally come back to her. She couldn't believe what she had just done, especially considering the fact that Lucas had refrained from kissing her back in the beginning, and was now only hesitantly kissing her back._

_Abruptly pulling away from Lucas and putting a shaky hand on her swollen lips, Brooke looked at Lucas with wide, terrified eyes._

_"I'm sorry, Luke…" she breathlessly mumbled, starting to back away from him as tears formed in her eyes. She whirled away from Lucas and started running in the direction that her legs had decided to take her. Just like in her dream, she had no idea where she was going and only knew that she had to get away…_

**Chapter 26**

"Brooke! Brooke!!" she heard her name being called, begging for her attention, yet her feet carried her forward- away from the voice of the man she had just kissed, away from the man with whom she had just made things so complicated. Just like in the dreams that had been repeatedly haunting her, she didn't even know where she was going and only let her feet carry her forward- distancing her from the person she was running away from.

"Brooke!" his voice was getting louder, and yet Brooke didn't dare to stop. She couldn't believe what she had just done, how she had thoughtlessly acted upon her instincts without even intending to, and had therefore lost the person she needed the most. Even though Brooke realized that Lucas was going after her despite what she had done, she simply couldn't face him. Not only was she too ashamed and didn't want to be the source of his pity, but she had actually also scared herself. For such a long time, she had believed that she had resolved her feelings for Lucas by now, yet her instinctive actions proved her completely wrong. Even though it hadn't quite been a romantic moment, feeling Lucas' lips touch her own still made her feel so whole and caused her insides to tingle, that Brooke was truly terrified. She just couldn't believe that after they had been doing so well, her heart was causing her to be drawn back to all the pain that admitting to love Lucas Scott would always put her through.

"Brooke!!" her vision was so blurry from all her tears, that she truly couldn't see anything that was around her. Therefore, when she unexpectedly felt her arm being grabbed, she jumped and let out a petrified yelp, yet upon recognizing Lucas' gentle touch as the one that was carefully turning her around, she slightly relaxed, knowing that she wasn't in danger. Her fear and shock, however, lurched back up on her heart almost immediately, when she suddenly felt Lucas' lips tenderly touching her own lips, delicately kissing and caressing her, like he used to do all those years ago.

For several moments, Brooke's mind went completely blank. Lucas' soft kisses erased anything that had been going on in her head as the sensations she was feeling overpowered her. The way that his arm circled her waist and pulled her body against his, as he traced soft patterns on her lower back, made her shiver. The way his other hand held onto her head, to deepen their kiss, caused her to melt into him. And the gentle manner in which he was sucking and pecking her lips, taking his time to feel her again, left her chanceless against him. As Brooke felt her body going limp in Lucas' arms, she could only give in to her body's sensations and kiss Lucas back for several magical moments.

When Lucas suddenly let out a quiet, involuntary groan of pleasure and pulled Brooke's body even closer to his form, something suddenly snapped inside Brooke's head. The panic and confusion she had been sensing hit her full force again and she all of a sudden wondered what she was doing. She abruptly pulled away from Lucas, staring at him with wide, fearful eyes as she tried to catch her breath, yet only found herself growing even more short of breath as the reality of what just happened dawned on her.

"I… We can't do this…" Brooke breathlessly said as she felt her heart starting to pound heavily against her chest. She had suddenly realized that not only had she spontaneously kissed Lucas, but that Lucas had acted upon obvious emotions and had actually kissed her back. The notion of what this could mean, of what the consequences of this act could be, were so overwhelming for Brooke, that she started to feel dizzy.

Lucas, who was still holding onto Brooke's arms and could therefore feel her body beginning to tremble and see her eyes filling with tears, immediately tightened his hold on her and began to try to calm her down.

"Brooke, it's O.K…." Lucas soothingly whispered, running his hands up and down Brooke's shaking arms. He, too, was a bit confused by the fact that Brooke had just kissed him, by how he chose to kiss her back and by the way that the last kiss had made him feel, but he could see that Brooke was far more overwhelmed than he was, and therefore chose to take care of her first.

"Hey- it's alright…" he softly told her with a small, reassuring smile, gently stroking her cheek with his thumb as he saw how her lower lip began to involuntarily quiver. Lucas could tell that Brooke was truly at the verge of tears, fighting to keep it together and, not wanting to see her lose it, gently soothed, "We're good- it's O.K."

Much to Lucas' horror, not only did his words not bring a sense of tranquility upon Brooke, but she had actually burst out into tears upon hearing him speak. He stood before her, speechless, as she let out pained, emotion-filled cries, and could literally feel his heart breaking into pieces for her.

"Come on, it's O.K…. Don't cry" Lucas heavy-heartedly begged, barely capable of containing the sadness that he felt upon witnessing Brooke's emotional state.

"B-But it's not…" Brooke choked out, sobbing with such force that Lucas was truly starting to be concerned for her wellbeing.

"Baby, just calm down" he pleaded, staring at her closely and still using his palm to cup Brooke's cheek with affection. When her tears just continued trickling into his hand, sustaining their rapid flow, Lucas couldn't help but ask, "Please don't cry, pretty girl" only causing the brunette beauty before him to start sobbing even more uncontrollably.

"Lucas- we can't do this… _I_ can't do this…" she cried, "We've been through this before, and I just can't…"

"Brooke…" Lucas tried to stop Brooke's upset ramble, yet was chanceless against her overflowing emotions.

"I know that I kissed you first, and you've truly been so good to me, but I just can't go there again… We're finally working out as friends, and even if I do have feelings for you, we really can't-"

"What did you just say?" the serious tone Lucas' voice wore as he asked his question finally caused Brooke to pause her hysterical speech. As she suddenly realized what she had just confessed, Brooke's eyes widened in horror and her breath hitched in her throat.

"I didn't… I… I don't…" getting worked up all over again, Brooke couldn't even form a complete coherent sentence. Even though Lucas' head was pounding with the realization of what Brooke's confession could mean, especially considering the fact that it had actually made his heart skip a beat, he forced himself to keep his calm, understanding that Brooke needed him to do so.

"Brooke…" he started, gently rubbing Brooke's cheek with his fingers in an attempt to soothe her, but despite his tries, she was just becoming more and more upset.

"I'm sorry…" she suddenly sobbed out, her voice so full of confusion and pain that it truly broke his heart, "I don't know what's wrong with me today, I just…"

"Shh…" Lucas could no longer stand to see her cry and softly hushed her. As he held onto her with one hand and used the other to stroke her hair calmingly, Brooke's confused speech finally died out, yet her upset sobs continued rolling out of her mouth freely. With the sole purpose of calming her down, Lucas once again let his natural impulses take over him and pulled Brooke's trembling frame against him, pressing his lips against her cheeks and gently kissing her tears away. He wasn't trying to be romantic or anything like that right now- he simply wanted her heartbreaking crying to stop.

As Lucas noted that his gentle kisses indeed had a soothing affect on Brooke, as her frightened, perplexed sobs turned into quiet cries and sniffles, he continued giving in to his nature and let his lips move from Brooke's cheeks to her forehead. When he felt how Brooke's body was starting to relax into his in response to his soothing actions, he found his lips beginning to wander around, delicately covering Brooke's soft skin wherever he possibly could. He just wanted her to feel safe and loved, he just wanted to kiss away her pain.

Suddenly comprehending the fact that they were still standing in the middle of the hotel's parking lot, Lucas realized that it would probably be appropriate to guide Brooke back to the car and lead her to a place that would be more suitable for them to hold the conversation that he knew they needed to have. Carefully pulling away from her, Lucas looked at the tearful girl held in his arms and was about to suggest that they would leave, when his gaze was suddenly caught in her big hazel eyes, which were looking at him with such a mixture of emotions that Lucas was truly transfixed.

As he could distinctly see a sole tear making its way down Brooke's cheek and could feel her soft breaths sweeping over his neck, Lucas suddenly realized how close the two of them were to one another. Taking in the breathtaking beauty of the vulnerable woman before him, Lucas officially threw his rational thinking out the window, as he gently pulled Brooke to him, bent his head down and captured her lips for the second time that night. As he felt Brooke reciprocating his kiss after several moments, Lucas couldn't help himself and gently pried her mouth open with his tongue, starting to caress and feel her. Even though he might have wished to say that he was still trying to comfort Brooke, whose tears kept rolling out of her eyes, the truth was that Lucas could no longer deny the intense emotions he felt towards her. The truth was that Lucas had fallen hopelessly in love with the pretty girl in his arms, so hopelessly- that he could no longer hide it.

Sensing that Brooke was growing short of breath, Lucas reluctantly pulled himself away from her soft lips, yet still held onto her with a firm grip. He realized that even though Brooke undeniably did kiss him back, that he still might have come onto her too strongly, and wasn't willing to risk having her run away from him again. As his eyes locked on the big, wet hazel eyes before him, Lucas could only give Brooke a reassuring smile, unable to put his feelings into words at the moment.

"What does this mean, Luke?" it was Brooke who broke the silence, as she shakily, unsurely questioned him, looking at him with perplexed, uncertain eyes.

"It means that I want to be with you, so I guess it's up to you now, pretty girl…" Lucas softly replied as he stroked up and down her shivering arms, realizing that he made his feelings and intentions pretty clear with his kiss, and therefore knowing that he was unable to take it all back now, when his true feelings were finally out in the open. "What do you want it to mean?" he sincerely, yet quietly asked, needing to know where her head was, but not wanting her to freak out again.

"I… I don't know, Luke…" Brooke honestly replied, her eyes filling with fresh tears once again as she made her confession. She really couldn't deny how she felt towards Lucas now, but she truly didn't know if she was capable of putting herself out there again after everything she had been through lately and after how Lucas had damaged her heart before. Just as Brooke started to feel her lips beginning to quiver, as her confusion, uncertainty and frustration got to her, she felt Lucas soothingly cupping her cheek again, rubbing over it with his gentle thumb.

"Hey… Don't worry about it, pretty girl… We'll figure this out in time" he reassured. Of course he would have been overjoyed if Brooke would have agreed to let him in, but he couldn't blame her and could truly understand why she was being protective of her heart.

"Lucas…" Brooke looked at him with a torn expression. He could already see in her eyes how much she wanted to give up her fears and just admit her true feelings, but he could also see the internal battle that she was going through. Not wanting Brooke to torture herself, Lucas quickly cut her off.

"Hey… Everything's alright, Brooke… I'll wait for you until you know what you want" he promised, and then felt obliged to add, "And I'll always be there for you, no matter what you decide…" he said, knowing that he indeed would, even though it might break his heart to do so if she would decide that she couldn't let him in again.

"I just… I don't know what to say, Luke…" Brooke told him as she looked at him guiltily, feeling the need to respond to the kind way he was handling this situation, but being truly at loss of words. She felt awful for responding like this after Lucas put himself out there for her and admitted that he wanted to be with her, but she just couldn't be careless with her heart after all the blows that she endured lately.

"You don't have to say anything, babe…" Lucas gave her a small, reassuring smile, "Just promise me that when you make up your mind, you'll be honest with me" was all that he asked for. When Brooke nodded in agreement, knowing that Lucas' request that she wouldn't hide herself from him once she knew what she wanted was only fair, Lucas suddenly grinned at her playfully, "And until that happens, no friends with benefits, hmm? I had enough of that non-exclusive drama when we were in high school…" he jokingly said, wanting to lighten the mood and indeed- finally putting an amused smile on Brooke's face.

"Jerk…" she half-jokingly replied as she wiped away her tears from her face, yet couldn't help but let out a small giggle as she remembered how miserable she had made Lucas with her playing-hard-to-get games back when they were teenagers.

"Oh, you think that's funny?" Lucas playfully raised an eyebrow, pretending to be hurt by her contagious laughter only for a moment, as he was soon laughing as well. When Brooke nodded her head, he slid back towards her and carefully grabbed her, starting to tickle her sides and causing her to laugh uncontrollably.

"Lucas… Stop…" she laughed out loud, trying to wiggle out of his grasp, but failing to do so due to her physical disadvantage in comparison to him, "Lucas… Come on… That's not fair…" she continued giggling, causing Lucas to chuckle, as he enjoyed the lovely sound of her raspy, wholehearted laughter.

When Brooke's shirt slightly rode up in the midst of their playfulness, as she attempted to escape Lucas' wiggling fingers, Lucas all of a sudden stopped his teasing actions as a fading scar, which tainted Brooke's perfect, porcelain skin, came into view.

"What?" Brooke, still giggling and trying to catch her breath, questioned him lightly, but followed his intense gaze as she noticed him frowning. "Lucas…" she softly said as she observed the pained expression on his face and felt his fingers delicately touching her pink skin, brushing over the barely visible marks imprinted on it.

"It doesn't hurt anymore, Luke… I'm fine…" she softly tried to convince and reassure him, yet Lucas' gaze was still glued to her damaged skin.

"I just can't believe that I wasn't here when this bastard hurt you… I can't believe I wasn't there for you after this happened…" Lucas guiltily mumbled, seemingly swept to a world of his own, which contained his guilt and his torturous feelings. When Brooke's soft, raspy voice spoke, however, he was pulled back to reality all at once.

"You're here now…" she simply pointed out, and when Lucas raised his eyes to meet her hazel orbs and saw with how much emotion she was looking at him, he realized that it was truly what should matter, what did matter…

"I am, and I'm not going anywhere…" he told her sincerely, his eyes looking at her so intensely, that Brooke immediately felt herself growing weak in the knees. The sheer care and adoration he was projecting at her, which never once failed to get to her, were almost enough to cause Brooke to rid herself of the walls that were surrounding her heart.

"Do you really think that this could work between us this time, Luke?" Brooke asked Lucas with so much raw emotion, that Lucas couldn't hold back and immediately replied.

"If you let me in, I'll never let you go again, Brooke. Never…" he swore with so much passion that Brooke had to take a deep breath, feeling herself growing dizzy from the intense feelings he was showing her all of a sudden.

Noticing how speechless he had made Brooke, Lucas realized that he needed to take a step back, so he wouldn't be pressuring her too much, so he quickly added, "Just bear that in mind, and when you're ready- let me know how you feel, O.K.?"

"O.K…." Brooke softly replied, nodding at him gently. She wished she could have given Lucas a different response, but she truly needed to think through the matter thoroughly and not make any rash decisions when it came to her heart.

"Alright, pretty girl- let's get out of this parking lot before George comes here and sees us like this…" Lucas put a smile on his face, initially for Brooke's sake, but soon enough- his forced smile turned into a genuine one, as Brooke looked at him with a mortified expression.

"Oh god… I totally forgot that we were still here…" she truthfully said, the sudden alarm and embarrassment appearing on her face, which made her look like a small child caught doing something forbidden, causing Lucas to be unable to help himself and let out a chuckle.

"Come here, silly…" he laughed, looking at her adoringly, "Let's get out of here…" he advised, taking her hand on the intention of leading her towards the car, but pausing when he saw her hesitance.

"What is it?" Lucas asked, looking deeply into her eyes, searching for what was troubling her mind.

"Are we really going to be O.K. now, Lucas?" Brooke unsurely asked, her expression turning serious again, replacing the carefree expression her face wore for several moments, "I just… I don't want to lose you…" she confessed, slight fear suddenly appearing in her eyes.

"Hey- you're not gonna lose me, alright? And of course we are O.K., babe" Lucas smiled at her warmly, rubbing his thumb over her palm caringly, "No matter what happens- we'll always be O.K…." he promised, finally putting the smile back on Brooke's face and enabling her to relax and follow his lead towards the car.

As they drove off together, Lucas couldn't help but steal glances at Brooke once in a while and smile to himself sadly. He knew that they would be O.K. no matter what, as he owed it to Brooke, but he couldn't help but wish that they would turn out to be more than O.K., much more than that…

* * *

"Ahem… Are we interrupting anything?" as Brooke and Lucas entered Brooke's house and spotted Owen and Rachel in the middle of a passionate kiss, Brooke raised an eyebrow and commented amusedly, immediately breaking up the couple. She had seen the two flirting around ever since Rachel had returned to Tree Hill, but this was the first time she witnessed such intense interaction between the two. Even though Brooke had been guessing that at some point, the two would start dating, walking in on them for the first time still managed to surprise and entertain her.

"I… We were just…" Owen began stuttering, his mind still unable to function due to the affect that Rachel seemed to have on him, yet Rachel cut him off and smirked at her friend.

"Actually, Brooke- you kind of are…" she replied teasingly as she crossed her arms over her chest, causing Brooke and Lucas to laugh slightly and Owen to turn red in embarrassment.

"Well, since I already told Owen that if he hurts you, he's dead- you two have my blessing…" Brooke announced with a smile, causing Rachel to grin delightedly, and to truly laugh when Brooke playfully added, "Just make sure you put a scrunchie on your doorknob before you do anything kinky…"

"Fine by me…" Rachel smiled happily and as Owen groaned in discomfort, they all shared a whole-hearted laugh.

"So I take it the meeting with that old guy from your company went well?" Rachel voiced out her assumptions, seeing as Brooke hadn't seemed this strong and good-spirited since the second attack took place.

"Yes, the meeting with _George_ went perfectly fine" Brooke said with a smile, emphasizing the fact that the "old guy" in question had a name, "I'm gonna have a secret presentation to the board in two weeks, which Victoria won't even know about, and if I do well- I'll be in charge again and Victoria will be out of the picture for good" she explained, causing Rachel's face to light up even more.

"Brooke- that's awesome!" she exclaimed, genuinely happy that her friend would finally be able to get her company back, and that her ice queen of a mother would get was she deserved.

"I know… But I have so much work to do, so I'm really gonna need your help" Brooke told Rachel, looking up at her with big puppy eyes, and causing her to laugh.

"You can count on it…" Rachel replied, causing Brooke to squeal and hug Rachel in excitement.

"Thank you, Rache- you're the best" she said, giggling as Rachel shrugged her shoulders, as if telling her she already knew that.

"Oh- I'm also gonna need the help of my two handsome models here…" Brooke said, looking at Lucas, who immediately nodded, and then at Owen, who seemed to be hesitant, still slightly uncomfortable with the idea. "Please?" she begged, sticking her lower lip out in a pout, which she knew that nobody could ever say no to, "It's my only way to kick Victoria's ass out of my company…" she explained, already knowing that Owen would never be able to refuse to that.

"Oh, alright… But we're definitely even after this, Brooke… Even more than even…" Owen replied, causing Brooke to nod happily. It had truly been a wonderful day for her, yet even though she was already enthusiastic to start working on all the ideas and sketches that she was already starting to think about, even though she had forgotten that she was still recovering from her second attack for several hours, she could all of a sudden feel how all of her excitement and the emotions she had been through were suddenly getting to her, making her so tired that she couldn't help but let out a small yawn. Despite the fact that she tried to hide the sigh of her sudden exhaustion, all of her friends noticed it and smiled at her with understanding.

"Alright, babe- today was a long day for you, so why don't we call it a night?" Lucas suggested as he came up to her and put his hand on the small of her back, starting to lead her towards the stairs. He knew that now she was probably able to function independently, as her emotional condition considerably improved since she had been notified that she might get her company back, yet he had grown accustomed to shielding her at all times since her second attack, and couldn't help but remain slightly overprotective of her now as well. Lucas realized that in time, he would be forced to loosen up around Brooke and let her out of his sight some more, as she was such an independent person by nature, but he wasn't prepared for that yet. Therefore, when Brooke suddenly took a step away from him as they reached the stairs and looked at him with apologetic eyes, Lucas couldn't help but feel a pang of pain hit his heart.

"Actually, Luke- I really will go and get ready for bed, but I think I'll be fine by myself tonight, O.K.?" she gently said, looking at him with her big, caring eyes, as if begging him not to take her call for independence personally.

"Are you sure, Brooke?" he quietly asked her, not wanting to embarrass her in front of Rachel and Owen, yet wanting to be certain that she wasn't pushing herself too far all at once.

"I'm sure, Broody…" Brooke replied, and Lucas couldn't help but smile as he heard the way her old nickname for him accidentally, yet completely naturally, slipped out of her mouth.

"Alright, pretty girl… Just call out when you're all ready for bed, and I'll come to lie down with you" he naturally said, already knowing how much better she felt with someone by her side at night, especially ever since she had been attacked. Much to his disappointment, however, Brooke's eyes shifted over to the floor as she awkwardly cleared her throat.

"Yeah… About that… I think that I'm gonna sleep over at Rachel's room tonight…" Brooke uncomfortably said, causing Lucas to frown as he realized that she was trying to distance herself from him.

"Brooke, come on- don't do this…" he begged her, unable to handle her pushing him away from her again, "I don't want what happened to change anything between us" he quietly said, wanting to keep what happened between them that day private, yet still causing Rachel to frown and take a few steps towards them as she noticed their suddenly hushed tones.

"Is everything alright, Brooke?" she asked with slight concern, looking at Brooke carefully in order to assess whether her friend was truly alright or not.

"Yeah, Rache, I'm fine…" Brooke plastered a forced smile on her face, yet when Rachel eyed her skeptically, her voice grew soft as she asked, "But will it be O.K. if I come over to your room and we have a little girl's night tonight?"

"You know you don't even have to ask, Brooke" Rachel immediately replied, frowning as she saw Brooke taking a deep, relieved breath. "Is something that you didn't tell me about going on?" she questioned gently, realizing that with Brooke walking in on her and Owen kissing, she might have not been paying her full attention to Brooke.

When Brooke just shrugged and shook her head, a little too quickly for Rachel's liking, Rachel realized that something truly must be going on. "Come here for a sec…" she pulled her aside, walking away from both men, so she could talk to Brooke in private.

"Brooke, what happened tonight? Just tell me…" she carefully asked, needing to know what was troubling her friend.

"It's really nothing, Rache-"

"So is this about Owen? Is this too awkward for you?" Rachel cut her off and questioned seriously, looking straight into Brooke's eyes, as she needed to know Brooke's honest reply, "Sweetie- I only went for him because you said you were cool with it, but you know that you come first for me, so if you changed your mind, please just tell me now" Rachel asked her, causing Brooke to immediately reply.

"Rache, I'm definitely cool with you and Owen" she said, sounding so certain that Rachel immediately believed her.

"So what- you just missed your favorite girl?" Rachel asked with a teasingly seductive grin, causing Brooke to erupt into a fit of giggles which Rachel soon joined.

"Come on, Rache- I don't wanna make Owen jealous…" Brooke lightly replied with a smirk, glad that she had managed to brush the matter off. The truth was that she needed some space and some time away from Lucas in order to be able to think straight and make a wise decision, as she knew that being held in his arms at night would probably cause her to be unable to hold back her intense feelings towards him. The truth was that being near Lucas prevented her from thinking straight, but she didn't want to tell Rachel that. She just wanted to think the matter through by herself for a while, without Rachel or Lucas' influences affecting her.

As the two girls made their way back to the living room, where they had left the two men, Brooke noticed how much sadness there appeared to be in Lucas' ocean-colored eyes. Therefore, as Rachel followed Owen towards his car and bid him goodbye, Brooke came up to Lucas and couldn't help but gently cup his cheek.

"Hey… Please don't be offended by this, Luke" she pleaded with him, her warm, hazel eyes begging his big, blue orbs for understanding as she stroked a finger across his cheek.

"You said that you don't want to lose me, but you're pushing me away, Brooke… I don't want to lose you either" he sadly said, almost bringing tears to Brooke's eyes as he sounded so miserable.

"Lucas… I just want some space to figure out if I can do this… Please just give me some time" she asked him, her eyes becoming filled with so many emotions that Lucas immediately had to nod with understanding.

"O.K." he softly said, gently peeling Brooke's hand from his cheek and bringing it to his lips, for a delicate kiss, "I'll give you time, pretty girl, just don't shut me out" was all that he asked for, receiving a gentle nod from the brunette beauty before him before she disappeared upstairs, to get ready for bed.

Lucas remained in his place on Brooke's sofa for a while, long after he watched Brooke walking away from him, long after she came back downstairs and headed towards Rachel's room after bidding him goodnight and smiling to him over her shoulder. He tried to ignore how cold his hand had become after her hand had slipped away from his touch or how his cheek had become flushed over where Brooke's delicate palm had touched him, yet he simply couldn't, as he already missed the pretty girl that found her way back to his heart. As he lied down on the couch, unable to occupy Brooke's empty bed without her, Lucas knew that Brooke deserved to be given some time to establish her decision, but could only pray that in the process, she would keep her promise to him and wouldn't shut him out. He just prayed that she wouldn't push him away, as he truly didn't know if he would be able to handle being away from her now, after he finally admitted to himself and to her how much he needed her by his side…

* * *

**AN: I can't even begin to tell you how much I've been waiting to write in a little romance for Brucas, so I hope this didn't seem rushed, as I truly couldn't help myself!! As always- I'd really love to hear your thoughts, but since I've been having a few discouraging days, as I've already said, if you have supportive comments, it would be awesome to hear them! As always- I accept and value any kind of feedback, but this week, more than ever, I could use a good word or two, if you enjoyed what I wrote... ;-)**


	27. Chapter 27

**Hi guys! I know it's been way too long, but believe it or not- one of my best friends had decided to go all Naley on me and get married with her boyfriend, and despite the fact that we're not 16, but are 22-years-old- it's still a pretty young age to get married, so things have been crazy here lately... Needless to say (as she is one of my closest friends, as I said)- I was one of the two people who planned the bachlorette party (which was awesome, btw... lol...) and had helped a lot with some of the wedding arrangements, so I've definitely been busy during the past few weeks... Now, however, when the beautiful wedding they had is behind us already, I finally have time to update! So I guess I'll stop rambling right about now and just say that I hope you'll enjoy this chapter! ;-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 27**

Lucas' blue-green eyes sparkled as a sunray brushed over them while he sat on Brooke's porch, drinking his morning coffee, yet he was far from being as cheerful as the glint of his eyes might have suggested. To be completely frank, he was pretty busy brooding. That past night, his first night apart from Brooke since her second attack, had been awful for the both of them; he hadn't been able to fall into a restful sleep due to his concern towards Brooke and the need to hold her in his arms, and she had been having trouble sleeping again. Lucas had actually heard Brooke crying out in fear in the middle of the night, as she, once again, suffered from a nightmare, yet as he rushed to Rachel's bedroom, wanting to comfort the frightened brunette, he had found her held tightly in Rachel's arms and pleading with him in tears that he would let Rachel handle her. Even though it had been the last thing that Lucas could possibly want to do, he had found himself kissing Brooke on top of her head and slipping out of the room, as he tried to respect Brooke's request. Her terrified sobs, however, wouldn't leave his mind, and even now kept echoing in his head.

Lucas sighed heavily as Brooke's scared cries once again flashed in his mind. Suddenly feeling the need to check on Brooke and see if she was alright, he slipped into the house and carefully crept into Rachel's room, tiptoeing quietly, as he didn't want to disturb the sleep of the brunette or of the redhead who were resting in the room.

Lucas apprehensively opened Rachel's bedroom door, yet as he took in the sight of the two girls that unraveled before him, a small smile finally graced his face; both Brooke and Rachel were still sleeping, their hair forming red and brown haloes on their pillows. Rachel was holding onto Brooke with obvious motherly protectiveness, and Brooke, even in her sleep, seemed to take comfort in Rachel's presence. Most importantly, much to Lucas' delight, both girls finally seemed to be truly peaceful.

Having seen that both girls were fine, Lucas felt that it would be alright to leave them and get some breakfast for the three of them. He didn't know whether he would be successful this time, but he knew that prior to Brooke's attack- a double mocha-latte with extra foam and some pastries could always put a smile on the brunette's face, so he decided to try his luck. He wasn't trying to bribe Brooke into wanting to be with him, he was simply willing to do anything that would make the cheerful girl he used to know wear her dimpled smile more often, as it had been scarce to the eyes as of lately. If his attentiveness and care could earn him a second chance with Brooke- it would be a definite added benefit, yet at the moment- the only thing he was truly striving for was to make Brooke's day a happy one…

* * *

"Hey… You're awake" Lucas delightedly greeted Brooke and Rachel as he returned to Brooke's house and found the two girls sitting in the living room, still in their pajamas, yet wide awake.

"Morning, Luke…" Brooke tightly smiled at Lucas and said, her voice still laced with extra raspiness, as it tended to be every morning. Lucas grinned back, as he was glad to see that she was doing better than she seemed to be doing during the past night, even if she still appeared to be slightly tense around him.

"Good morning, Brooke… Good morning, Rache…" Lucas addressed both of them before handing each a custom made cup of coffee, which had been carefully prepared to fit each girl's taste, "Who wants some breakfast?" he questioned with a wide smile and slightly chuckled as he saw the sudden spark that filled Rachel's eyes as she noticed the big brown bag he had brought from the nearby café they all shared a liking of.

"I'll go get us plates" Rachel immediately rose to her feet and rushed to the kitchen, enthusiastic to dig into the delicious breakfast goods that Lucas had brought them. Brooke, on the other hand, seemed to be much more apprehensive about accepting Lucas' proposal.

"Luke… You really didn't need to do that…" she uncomfortably said, awkwardly playing with the cover of the plastic coffee cup that Lucas had handed her. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate Lucas' thoughtful gesture, because she truly did. It was simply that she felt uneasy with allowing Lucas to pamper her while she was still contemplating what she wanted the two of them to be. Brooke truly wanted to make her decision about them for the right reason, which was why she felt like it would be wrong for her to accept special treatment from Lucas until her genuine decision would be final.

"It's just breakfast, Brooke…" Lucas chuckled, trying to let her see that he had no ulterior motive and only wanted to sit down and eat together. When Brooke seemed to remain uneasy, though, Lucas turned serious and honestly said, "I swear I'm not trying to pressure you, alright?"

Looking into Lucas' truthful, caring eyes, Brooke slightly sighed and nodded, "Alright, Luke. Thank you…" she said, forcing yet another tight smile for his sake and expressing her appreciation so not to seem ungrateful.

"Sure thing, pretty girl… Let's go and eat" he replied, not even noticing the significant nickname that had just slipped out of his mouth. Brooke, however, did notice, yet somehow- it didn't make her feel weird or uneasy. Somehow, hearing Lucas calling her his pretty girl actually made her feel like in the end- things were going to be O.K….

* * *

"Nate, hold still… You too- Owen!" Brooke commanded the two boys with a frown later that day, during the afternoon, as she and Rachel tried to fit rough versions of some clothes that Brooke had prepared on the two of them as well as on Lucas, who was currently sitting by them, waiting for his turn. He was actually pretty amused by the sight of his brother and of the town bartender standing in Brooke's living room and squirming as the two petite girls carefully marked and pinned the cloth that they were modeling, so it would make a perfect fit.

"Nathan Royal Scott, I told you to keep still" Brooke scolded the man whose clothes she was currently fitting, as he kept uncomfortably shifting his weight from one foot to another, "I don't want to hurt you with these pins, but that's just what'll happen if you don't quit moving around" she sincerely said, the serious, yet adorable, scowl on her face putting a huge grin on Lucas' face.

"Rache- you have to stop doing that, babe" Lucas' attention was quickly averted to Owen and Rachel, who were paired up and working according to Brooke's instructions. When Lucas noticed how flushed Owen's cheeks were and realized that Rachel was sitting down near his feet, her hands running up his legs as she skillfully added pins and marks to his pants in all the right places to make Brooke's design perfect, Lucas couldn't help but laugh out loud. It was always completely clear what an affect Rachel had on Owen, but now it was even more evident than ever with the embarrassed, tortured look Owen had in his eyes. When Brooke and Nathan noticed what Lucas was chuckling about, they joined him and laughed as well, and soon Rachel realized what she had unintentionally done and smirked up at him naughtily, causing Owen to groan in embarrassment. He couldn't believe how every single time he was around Rachel, he managed to make an idiot out of himself. When Owen realized that all those present were laughing on his account, he turned to Lucas and playfully bit back.

"You may think this is funny now, Lucas, but we'll just have to see how you're doing once Brooke will be done with Nathan…" Owen said, satisfied to see that now it was Lucas' cheeks that were turning red and that his friends were not laughing at him anymore. However, when Rachel's hand gently glided up his leg and slightly pinched the fabric around his leg, tightening it to make the pants Brooke designed a slimmer, more suiting fit, Owen's smile instantly disappeared and he involuntarily took a step back, reacting to Rachel's touch immediately.

"Ow!" Rachel yelped in pain and put her finger in her mouth, having stabbed herself with a pin due to Owen's unexpected movement.

"I thought I told you not to move, Owen!" Brooke reprimanded Owen and immediately left Nathan, to see how Rachel was doing, "Are you alright, Rache?" she worriedly asked her friend, her eyes slightly widening when Rachel took her finger out of her mouth, only to find that it was bleeding.

"Rachel… I'm so sorry!" Owen remorsefully apologized, feeling horrible for being the cause of her cut, even if he hadn't done it on purpose, "Let's get you washed up" he suggested, trying to at least help her after what he had done. Before she could protest, Owen pulled Rachel up to her feet and started leading her to the bathroom sink, while Nathan helped Brooke up as well.

"I'll get you a band-aid" Brooke immediately offered, wanting to be of help as well, yet Rachel quickly pulled away from Owen and interrupted them both.

"Guys, chill… It's only a stupid cut and I can really take care of myself" she pointed out, flashing both Owen and Brooke a big smile, trying to ease off their nerves.

"But-"

"Brooke, I'll be fine, and we have our work cut out for us, so you really should continue fitting the guys, and I'll be back in a couple of minutes to help…" Rachel told Brooke, receiving a small nod from the brunette. As Rachel slipped upstairs, Brooke returned to Nathan's side and quietly resumed her work on the clothes he was wearing. However, not even a minute went by before Brooke's house phone rang, creating another distraction from her work. Groaning in frustration, Brooke accepted Nathan's outstretched hand and let him pick her up to her feet before walking over to the ringing devise.

"If this is one of those annoying sales people trying to sell me one of those automatic vacuum cleaners or something, I swear I'm gonna scream" she grumbled, irritated that she had been disturbed during her work. Her angry scowl and slight pout caused all three boys to chuckle adoringly, yet once Brooke picked up the phone, their expressions turned more serious and curious.

"Hello?" Brooke said, her slight impatience still evident in her voice.

"Brooke… We really must talk" the person on the other side of the line replied, and once Brooke recognized who it was, her face paled in an instant.

"W-What do you want?" Brooke tried to keep her voice as stable and strong as she could, but an entire range of emotions suddenly attacked her senses, making her wish that she had never answered the phone. She felt scared and angry and hurt, and she truly couldn't believe the nerve of this person to call her like that.

"I would like to know why on earth my daughter would even think that I could actually physically harm her" Victoria replied, and the rare softness that her cold voice wore was enough to cause a single tear to slip out of Brooke's eye.

"Because you did" Brooke coldly replied, fighting with all her might to hide her vulnerability from her mother as she was truly hurt, frightened and angry, yet didn't want to give Victoria the satisfaction of witnessing her breaking down. As she bit her lower lip and choked back a sob, Brooke could suddenly feel Lucas delicately touching her back as he stood by her side and stared at her with concern.

"Brooke?" he softly called out to her, gently rubbing her back in an attempt to help her open up to him, yet Brooke was unable to respond to him, as her intense feelings kept her trapped in the conversation with her mother and disconnected from the calming presence of the three men who currently gathered around her, circulating her and looking at her with care and concern.

"Brooke, I know that we share our disagreements, but I would never want you to be physically hurt…" Victoria tried to rationally tell her daughter, her voice still sounding peculiarly gentle, yet Brooke wouldn't hear of it.

"I don't believe you" she bitterly replied, an involuntary whimper escaping her lips and causing the three men that surrounded her to exchange heartbroken, worried looks.

"Baby, what's going on?" Lucas gently tried to reach out to her again, but Brooke had become so emotional due to her conversation with Victoria, that she didn't even hear him speak.

"Well, then you're wrong…" Victoria replied, and when Brooke actually detected slight sadness in her mother's voice, she could no longer remain composed at all.

"O.K.- then explain this, Victoria" Brooke began, and at the mentioning of her mother's name, all three men around her tensed up with fury and protectiveness, finally understanding why Brooke had suddenly become so upset, yet Brooke couldn't notice them or hold back now, "If you didn't do this, why didn't you come and see how I was doing right after I got attacked? If you didn't do this, why did you wait until now to call me? If you're so damn innocent, why the hell would someone who broke into the store bother to steal my sketches and how would they even know where the sketches are kept?" Brooke challenged her mother as she choked back her cries, not wanting Victoria to know that the attack had truly succeeded in completely breaking her, as she was certain that this had been her mother's goal. Once Victoria spoke, however, it became almost impossible for Brooke to hold her pain back.

"The sketches were stolen??" Victoria questioned worriedly in response, causing Brooke to almost burst out sobbing. She forcefully bit her lower lip, battling against her rising emotions, and took a deep, shaky breath before she spoke.

"Good job Victoria- if I had any doubt whatsoever about your responsibility for the attack, it's all gone by now…" Brooke told her mother with hurt and disgust, "I know you're the one who did this because the company is all you care about!" Brooke exclaimed, unable to help but still feel hurt that her mother, once again, proved just how much more she cared about the store than about her own daughter. "What happened, Victoria?" she bitterly mocked, "Did your flying monkey "forget" to give you everything that he stole from me?"

"No, Brooke. It's just that…" Victoria replied, sighing heavily, "Look, I didn't come because I couldn't- I had to handle the Milan fashion week and now I have the restraining order against me, and I didn't call because I didn't know what to say to you…" Victoria honestly replied, sounding slightly ashamed of her answer, "I didn't think that you would want to talk to me, and I really didn't know how to convey how shocked I was to hear that you were attacked…" she explained, causing Brooke to roll her eyes.

"Please- you wouldn't have called now either if you didn't feel like you needed to save your skin before that goon confesses that you're the one who sent him…" Brooke sneered.

"That's not true, Brooke-" Victoria tried to say, yet Brooke cut her off.

"Whatever, Victoria… You will get what you deserve, and until you do- don't call me anymore, because you're right- I _don't_ want to talk to you. I have nothing to say to a mother who cares so much about money and power- she doesn't mind if her greed almost kills her daughter on the way" Brooke concluded and hung up the phone, her tough façade beginning to crumble almost immediately once she knew that Victoria could no longer witness her breakdown. Knowing that she wouldn't be able to stay strong for much longer, as the burning feeling in her throat was rising rapidly, Brooke was about to slip away from the three men surrounding her, so she could finally let go of her tears. Mumbling a shaky "excuse me", she attempted to brush past her friends, yet just as an unruly tear slipped out of her eye, she could feel Lucas' strong, gentle hands gripping onto her and carefully pulling her back to him.

"Hey, hey… Where are you going, babe? Come here…" he softly said to her as he tried to gather her into his arms, but Brooke was determined not to break down in front of her friends once again.

"Luke, please…" she pleaded with great effort, fighting against her rising emotions with all her might, "I just need a few moments by myself…" she tried to convince him, yet as a soft whimper escaped her lips and yet another tear rolled down her cheek, Lucas just tightened his grip on her and pulled her up against him.

"No you don't, Brooke- come here…" he gently spoke as he embraced her trembling body with his strong arms and began rubbing her back in soothing motions, which only caused Brooke to feel her emotions rising even more.

"Lucas… _Please_" Brooke begged as she made a final attempt to slip out of his protective embrace, but when Lucas' one hand tightened around her body as the other hastened the pace with which it was stroking her back, Brooke knew that she had lost her battle against her tears- that she could no longer hold her emotions back. Frustrated with how weak and emotional she felt, Brooke could only slump against Lucas' chest and let go of the sobs she had held back in front of Victoria, letting out the most heartbreaking cries there could be.

"Hey, shh… It's alright, baby" Lucas immediately hugged her tighter, allowing her to cry into his chest, "It's over. She can't hurt you anymore…" he soothed, continuing to rub her back, while Owen put his hand on her trembling shoulder and Nathan gently stroked her hair.

"It's gonna be alright, baby… It's all gonna be alright…" Lucas continued comforting as Brooke's sobs only grew louder, causing her shaking frame to lose stability from their intensity, yet Lucas just tightened his grip on her and allowed her to let all her pain out. "I've got you, babe" he promised her, "I won't let her hurt you again, alright?" he soothingly said, kissing Brooke on top of her head as she just continued uttering broken cries, truly shaken up and upset from the conversation she just had with the person who had been hurting her the most throughout her entire life, repeatedly proving to Brooke how little she cared about her.

"Brooke, take it easy, babe…" Owen's worried voice gently instructed Brooke as her hurt neck became irritated from her intense cries and caused her to cough unhealthily.

"It just hurts…" Brooke almost inaudibly croaked, yet all three men surrounding her heard her shattered confession and cringed, finding it truly hard to bear seeing her hurting so much.

"We know it does, Brooke…" Nathan gently replied, his hand continuing to brush through Brooke's hair softly in the hopes that his caring gesture was giving Brooke at least some sort of comfort, as he knew that nothing he could say or do could truly take all her pain away.

"I-It h-hurts…" Brooke brokenly repeated in a choked out sob, unable to contain her pain and sadness inside of her anymore. She had truly thought that she had managed to get stronger, but the conversation with Victoria suddenly made her fully realize for the first time that it was actually her own mother who she believed was set to harm her. The fact might have registered to her on some level so far, but never so intensely until the moment she had actually spoken with the woman who had given birth to her. Hearing the uncharacteristic traces of worry and sadness in Victoria's voice, an experience she had been waiting for most of her life, had actually reminded her of what a relationship with a mother should be all about, and as she recognized the fact that in her case, the woman who had given her life might have actually conducted an operation which could have put an end to her life, Brooke suddenly felt lonelier than ever.

"Hey, hey… Shh… It's all going to be O.K." Lucas soothed while running his hand up and down Brooke's back as her sobs and coughs intensified to a point where he was truly worried about her wellbeing. "Come on, baby, take deep breaths with me" he instructed the trembling girl in his arms as he sensed how sharp and strained her breathing had become.

"Luke-" Brooke whimpered out with great effort, yet Lucas immediately cut her off, concerned about her unhealthy breathing.

"Shh… just take deep breaths, babe, don't talk right now…" he directed her softly, kissing her temple gently in an attempt to comfort her slightly. He raised his eyes up from Brooke's broken frame and over to Nathan and Owen, and the three of them shared the same look of concern. Not only did it break their hearts to see Brooke like this, but it also worried them to no extent, as she just seemed completely shattered.

The three men were so caught up with their concern for Brooke that they didn't even notice the vivacious redhead that was bouncing back downstairs, oblivious to all the drama that had occurred while she had been taking care of her hurt finger in the upstairs bathroom.

"What, I'm gone for five minutes and you're hogging all the boys already?" Rachel playfully teased Brooke as she descended the stairs, when all she could see was Brooke's small frame buried in between the three well-built men that were surrounding her. Once she was halfway downstairs, however, and suddenly noticed how Brooke's body seemed to tremble in Lucas' firm, protective embrace, any trace of playfulness faded from Rachel's expression and tone in an instant.

"Brooke?" she anxiously called out to her friend as she raced downstairs, needing to see her friend from up close in order to assess the true gravity of her condition, "Brooke, what happened, sweetie?" Rachel softly, yet tensely asked, looking at her friend with wide, fearful eyes as she realized that Brooke didn't only seem to be shaking, but was actually crying into Lucas' chest. She paved her way through the three men that surrounded Brooke and felt her heart drop once she reached her friend, as Brooke suddenly managed to release herself from Lucas' arms and fled upstairs, still crying uncontrollably.

"What did you do to her?" Rachel immediately went into a blaming mode and automatically questioned Lucas accusingly, as she needed someone to take fault for her friend's heartbreaking condition, and Lucas was simply the first target she could see, as he was standing right in front of her.

"I didn't do anything, Rachel. I-"

"Then how come she's like this again?!" Rachel didn't even let Lucas finish his sentence before she retorted in distress, clearly upset to witness the setback in her dear friend's condition. Having sensed how worried and scared Rachel seemed to be, Owen immediately slid up to her and put an arm around her, clearing her throat before he quietly spoke.

"Rache- don't freak out, but while you were upstairs- Victoria called Brooke and spoke to her on the phone…" he explained, trying to sound as calm as he possibly could, but nonetheless- Rachel's eyes grew as wide as saucers as rage and shock overcame her.

"_What_?!" she uttered in disbelief and anger, unable to digest this woman's nerve. When she was met with complete silence, which assured to her that this wasn't a joke, and that Victoria had actually dared to call Brooke's house and cause her even more pain, a sense of fury and concern overcame the redhead.

"I've gotta go check on Brooke…" she mumbled to no one in particular, but once Owen halted her determined stride with his firm grip, forcing her to look up to him, she was surprised to find out that Nathan and Lucas were gone, leaving her alone with the muscular bartender.

"She'll be fine with Lucas and Nathan, Rache" Owen told her, giving an explanation to the disappearance of the two Scott brothers. When he could see that Rachel was about to protest, Owen quickly added, "I know you want to help her out, babe, but she doesn't need to be hovered over right now… Let the guys take care of her this time" he advised, and even though Rachel knew that he was right, she couldn't help but protest.

"I can't, Owen… She hasn't told me this, but she obviously needs time away from Lucas to figure where their relationship is leading them right now… I won't forgive myself if she lets him in again for the wrong reasons and just ends up getting hurt again when I swore to myself that I'd look after her this time" Rachel explained, her worried frown putting a small smile on Owen's face, as it touched his heart to see how much Rachel cared about Brooke.

"Rachel- it's really great that you feel like you need to protect Brooke, but I think that it's pretty clear what will eventually happen…" Owen softly said to the redhead, his smile slightly widening as Rachel's expression turned into a quizzical one, "Babe- even I can see that no matter how hard Brooke tries to fight this- she'll eventually give in to her heart and admit that she needs Lucas. It's completely obvious that those two are head over heels for one another…" he explained, yet Rachel's frown didn't soften.

"I've seen what this so-called love has done to Brooke last time, Owen" she said with distress, "What if he breaks her again? I don't think that she'll have it in her to recover from a blow like that once more…" Rachel clarified to Owen exactly what was troubling her mind.

"If he does then you and I will help her pick up the pieces and will both kick Lucas' ass" Owen simply replied, the straightforwardness of his answer and the unconditional care towards Brooke which it carried putting a small smile on Rachel's face.

"But that's not the real question" Owen continued, and once he was met with an inquisitive gaze from the redheaded beauty before him, he warmly smiled at her and softly added, "The real question isn't whether Lucas will break her, babe… The real question is actually whether Lucas could be the one person that could actually make Brooke whole again…" he pointed out, and even though Rachel just sadly smiled at Owen and didn't say a word, deep down she knew exactly what the true answer to his question was…

* * *

**AN: Well, originally this wasn't supposed to be where this chapter ended, but I felt like the rest of the chapter was long enough to be an entire chapter, so I guess you guys will have to wait until next time to see what is coming up ahead. I definitely promise to try to be better at updating, and just so you won't want to kill me (and also so Shana will be happy, as she always leaves me such great reviews and I'm never able to reply to her in person...)- I will say that you can certainly expect some advancement in Brucas' relationship really, really soon (as in either the next chapter, or the one after that)...**

**As always- I love you all for reading this, and I'd definitely love to hear your thoughts about this chapter! ;-)**


	28. Chapter 28

**I know it's been forever and I know that I promised to be better with the updates, but as all of you must know- life sometimes gets in the way... I knew that this chapter was going to be extra long, but I still thought that I would be able to finish it in a reasonable amount of time, but when I was about halfway through with it, my grandmother passed away... Needless to say, I was pretty overwhelmed and could only focus on processing that and not other things... Now that some time has passed, I was able to go back to writing while still keeping her in my thoughts, as she was also a person who loved to write. Anyway- I hope that you're still following this story and that you'll enjoy this chapter!**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 28**

It was the balcony on which Brooke had decided to reside as she let go of any self-control she might have maintained in front of her friends and had allowed herself to break down completely. As the setting sunbeams gently caressed her face, as if trying to comfort her broken soul, Brooke allowed herself to collapse onto the balcony's wooden deck and just let her sobs out. Clenching onto the purple monkey she had favored as a child and had grabbed on her way upstairs, she buried her face into the stuffed animal and simply cried like a lost child, too tired or broken to hold her pain inside.

It had only been a minute or two, during which Brooke sobbed on the balcony's deck on her own, before two larger figures crouched down next to her, yet even though Brooke wanted to hold herself when in their presence, the knowledge that they had witnessed yet another low point of hers just made her cry harder. She felt weak and pathetic, and she was certain that her friends were tired of her fragility by now, but no matter how much she wanted to put up the strong, immune façade she had been so good at faking ever since high school, this time the blows she had received were simply too hard for her to fight off.

"Hey baby, don't cry…" Brooke could hear Lucas sadly begging her as he carefully pulled her trembling figure onto his lap and kissed her on top of her head, a caring gesture which only caused her to bury her face deeper into her purple monkey and to sob with even more force. She indeed felt like a baby with the helpless way she had been behaving, but this conversation with her mother had just been too much for her to bear. No matter what progress she had made ever since she had met up with George, now she just felt like she was falling apart all over again.

"I… just w-wanna… go b-back… to the… way… things… w-were…" Brooke suddenly confessed, sobbing into the soft toy she used to take comfort in as a child, when she would feel lonely or frightened while her parents had been away, "To w-when… An-gie… was… here…" she continued, "I… just… wanna go… back…" Brooke wept, struggling to fit words in between her sobs and strained air-intakes and starting to cry in broken sobs once she finished her sentence.

"We all do…" Nathan solemnly told the girl who was hidden inside his brother's embrace and who was crying so defeatedly it brought tears to both his and his brother's eyes. The sight of her crying her eyes out into her childhood toy made her suddenly seem so young, so small and vulnerable, that both he and Lucas felt like they needed to shield her from the world, as one would do for a small child.

"Brooke, I promise you that even though we can't go back to that time- that things will get better… We are going to be by your side every step of the way and do whatever we can to help you get your company back, alright?" Lucas desperately tried to comfort and encourage Brooke, as the sight of her so hurt and devastated was truly killing him. "Things will start looking up for you again really soon, baby girl- I promise" Lucas reassured the sobbing girl in his arms, kissing her on top of her head soothingly, yet tightening his grip on her protectively when he heard her speak.

"How are things supposed to look up for me, Lucas?" she painfully cried out as she finally lifted her face from her purple monkey, her crushed tone and swollen, red eyes breaking Lucas' heart into pieces, "When your own mother is set to destroy you, even if it means she'll leave you physically and emotionally damaged, I'm pretty sure that things can't really look up…" she brokenly said, her tone laced with hurt, humiliation and an obvious feeling of rejection.

"Did she really tell you that?" Nathan gently questioned his upset friend as he looked at her with caring eyes, causing Brooke to slightly turn in Lucas' arms so she could face him.

"What?" she confusedly questioned in a trembling voice, the sight of her quivering lips and of the wet trails streaming down her face causing Nathan to send his hand towards her cheeks and to caringly wipe them clear of tears, as he just couldn't stand seeing her so sad without doing anything. Moving his hand from Brooke's now damp cheeks and over to her knee, Nathan began stroking his thumb back and forth over Brooke's knee before he continued.

"Brooke- did Victoria actually admit to you that she was behind everything that happened?" he sincerely questioned, comfortingly stroking Brooke's knee, but succeeding in putting a hurt expression on her face, nonetheless.

"Why are you doubting me?" she quietly asked, the offended and upset edge to her tone causing Nathan to reply immediately.

"Hey- I never said that I doubted you- I was just wondering what if you were wrong…" he wanted to make the matter clear, yet something in his eyes, which showed that he knew more than he was telling them, put a curious expression on Brooke's face and caused Lucas to tense up with apprehension.

"Nate…" Lucas warned his brother with a frown, as he didn't want to see him upset Brooke, or falsely bring her hopes up. As he exchanged sincere looks with Nathan and tightened his grasp on Brooke protectively, he could feel the small brunette shifting in his lap before she tentatively spoke.

"What aren't you telling me, Nate?" she asked, slightly sniffling as she struggled to stop crying. She looked at Nathan with her big, tearful eyes, from which he could never turn away, causing him to sigh and be unable to help but spill out what he had recently learned.

"Listen Brooke- I don't want you to get your hopes up, because none of this is a proven fact" Nathan forewarned, "but Bob- my friend who works in the police, is assigned to your case among other things and he told me that the man who hurt you has yet to truly confess to why he attacked you, but that every time they ask him if Victoria was the one who sent him- he insists that she wasn't" Nathan explained, this new information merely causing Brooke to sniffle and shrug.

"I'm sure that Victoria paid him enough to make sure that he would lie for her if necessary" Brooke bitterly said, yet Nathan slightly shook his head and continued.

"Bob thinks that there's more to it. He said that Victoria seemed genuinely shocked when they had told her about your attack and that she truly wasn't behaving in a way that is typical to someone who is guilty and trying to cover for it. He really seems to think that your case is more complicated than what we think it is, Brooke" Nathan concluded, his thumb still rubbing over Brooke's knee and his eyes boring into Brooke's hazel orbs, as he wanted to assess how this new information he had shared with Brooke was affecting her. He was expecting her to become emotional again, yet much to his surprise- she seemed more angry than upset.

"Well, with all due respect to _Bob_- he doesn't know Victoria as well as I do, so I guess that he can't tell that she's enough of a bitch to actually feign shock when told that her daughter was attacked, when she is the one who personally planned the attack and is only worried about getting caught!" Brooke heatedly exclaimed, needing to pause for a breath of air after uttering her speech in one single breath. When the Scott brothers noticed how strained and effortful that breath seemed to be, they shared a look of concern, after which Lucas immediately brought Brooke a bit closer to him and Nathan was quick to speak calmingly.

"Hey- take it easy, Brooke" he asked her, "Maybe you're right. Maybe you know Victoria better than anyone else and can tell when she's lying when other people can't. All I said was that there's still a chance that Victoria isn't behind this, and that Bob thinks-"

"I want to talk to him" Brooke abruptly cut Nathan off and suddenly declared in her raspy, unsteady voice, yet her statement still managed to sound as determined as could be.

"You… what?" Nathan was unable to hide his shock and surprise, as his sole intention was to cheer Brooke up a bit and return some hope into her sad eyes, and most certainly not to get Brooke involved in the investigation of her own attack.

"I want to talk to Bob. If he has such a strong belief that someone else is behind this- I want to talk to him and see what he really knows" Brooke elaborated, looking at Nathan with eyes that were pleading and determined at the same time and causing him to sigh uncomfortably.

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea, Davis" Nathan tried to tell her, "Bob works at the same police station that the guy who hurt you is arrested. I wouldn't want you to-"

"I don't care" Brooke cut him off and said, afterwards expectantly looking at him with her big hazel eyes, causing him to look away from her uneasily. It was obvious to Nathan that if he would keep his eye contact with the beautiful brunette before him, that he wouldn't be able to refuse to her request, but he felt truly uncomfortable taking her the place where the man who had dared to lay hands on her would be. Much to Nathan's relief, his brother shared his exact same concerns and took advantage of the silence that spread out to express his thoughts.

"Well- I do" Lucas responded to Brooke, gently shifting her on his lap so he could look into her eyes, "Babe- do you even remember what it had been like for you when we went to that station when you needed to make your statement the night you were attacked at _Tric_?" he softly questioned her and began rubbing her slender arms when she momentarily shivered, "I don't want you to go back there, pretty girl. You seemed so lost back then, and I just don't want to risk having you relapse to that state…" Lucas tried to convince Brooke, yet her gaze remained as determined as it had been before.

"I need to know who was set to hurt me, Lucas" she said strong-mindedly, "This wasn't a random act- I was attacked by the same man twice, so if it isn't Victoria's doing- I need to know who else is trying to harm me- who else I need to protect myself from" Brooke explained, and even though Lucas had to admit that she had a strong point, he was still looking at her with concern and uncertainty, as he remained uneasy about allowing Brooke to be so close to the man who had left her emotionally and physically scarred.

Seeing that Lucas had yet to soften his worried frown, Brooke turned to Nathan and gave him a pleading look, "Please, Nate" she begged, "I really need to know…"

After several moments of silence, during which Nathan contemplated with himself what the right thing to do would be, he finally nodded his head and quietly spoke, "Alright, Brooke… Let me just check if Bob is free to talk to us right now" he said, slipping into the house and leaving Brooke and Lucas behind on the balcony's deck.

Lacking Nathan's calming brotherly presence, Brooke suddenly realized that she was still sitting on Lucas' lap, her body intimately curled into Lucas' larger form. Clearing her throat and shifting slightly, she succeeded in releasing herself from Lucas' protective hold on her and began walking towards the balcony's railing, when she felt Lucas' gentle hand taking hold of her arm.

"Brooke, please think this over" he softly asked her, "You've been doing so much better since the meeting with George…" he tried to make her see, yet Brooke shook her head, already having her mind set on testing the truth behind the theory of her mother's innocence.

"I'm done hiding, Luke" she simply told him, "In order to be able to move on- I need to face the truth…" she explained, causing Lucas to sigh in defeat and start walking towards the house, much to Brooke's confusion and alarm.

"Where are you going?" Brooke questioned with slight panic, thinking that Lucas had had it with her stubborn ways. Much to her relief, he immediately turned to her, looking worn out, but not angry.

"To get our jackets" he replied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. When Brooke still stared at him and didn't say a word, he took a deep breath and added, "Seeing as we are about to leave the house and go to the police station…"

"You don't need to come with me, Luke- I'll be perfectly fine with Nathan…" Brooke shrugged, trying to sound as strong as she possibly could. The truth was that she would have felt much better with Lucas by her side, but she didn't want to get used to leaning on him every time things got a little tough. She didn't want to feel like she needed him to hold her hand in order to get by. However, even though her actions weren't an attempt to distance herself from Lucas, but were simply a call for independence, Lucas didn't understand that and could feel his heart constricting with pain as he felt as though Brooke was slipping away through his fingers.

"Don't do this, Brooke" Lucas begged, hurt and frustrated with her behavior. He knew that he had promised to give Brooke time and space, but he couldn't do that anymore if it meant that Brooke would use this time apart to create barriers between the two of them.

"Lucas, please…" Brooke tried to convince him to let go of the matter, yet Lucas fiercely shook his head, unwilling to compromise on this topic.

"Don't push me away like this, Brooke" he said to her, the sincerity in his voice causing her attempts to appease him to die out on her lips, "If you don't want me around, then just be fair and tell me! I'm here because I _love_ you and want to get a chance to prove it to you, but if it's not what you want, I need you to tell me" Lucas insisted, the pain in his tone and the words he had said causing Brooke's eyes to widen with regret and shock.

"Is that what you really think, Luke- that I don't want you here?" she exclaimed, her heated, upset tone signaling to Lucas that he wasn't meant to reply, but only to listen, "Lucas- I _need_ you here. Right now I need you, and that just scares me…" Brooke confessed, her voice slightly cracking as her vulnerability shone out once again.

"Brooke…" Lucas immediately softened up, looking at her with understanding, emotion-filled eyes, yet she just shook her head, signaling that she wasn't done speaking.

"Lucas- I need you to understand that I don't think I ever fully got over our separation in high school. I _loved_ you _so much_, and I had let you in deeper than I had ever let anyone else, that when we broke up- I was devastated…" Brooke lowered her gaze and paused to lick her lips before she looked back up at Lucas and vulnerably said, "I can't go through that again, Lucas. If we're gonna get together, I need us to do it right this time" she told him, the intense emotions evident in her voice causing Lucas to cut her off immediately.

"Brooke- I _swear_ to you on all that is dear to me that-"

"Luke- if we're going to have a healthy relationship- I'm going to need to be able to get by on my own and not depend on you in every step" Brooke cut him off and explained. When she saw that he was about to protest- she gently put her hand on his arm and continued, "I want to know that we're getting together only because I _love_ you, not because I need you…" Brooke said, looking deeply into his eyes in order to make sure that he understood where she was coming from- that she was separating herself from him for their future and for no other reason.

A silence overcame the two of them and before Lucas could utter a single word, Nathan returned to their side, putting an end to the intimate conversation that they had been holding.

"Alright, Brooke- Bob said he has time for us right now, so let's go" he said, looking at Brooke and Lucas and expecting the two of them to follow him towards his car. When only Brooke quietly slipped over to his side and Lucas remained standing in his spot, Nathan frowned with confusion and slight impatience.

"Look man, I know that you're not crazy about this idea, but if we're gonna go- we need to do it now, because Bob's break will be over in thirty minutes" he told his older brother, thinking that Lucas was still stubbornly trying to convince Brooke to stay at home.

"It alright, Nate… You two go ahead and I'll just wait for you here" Lucas quietly replied, the traces of forcefully restrained sadness that were evident in his voice truly killing Brooke from inside. She knew that her need for more time and space was hurting Lucas, but she just hoped that he would find it in him to be understanding, and that he wouldn't feel bitter or rejected.

Wanting to convey to Lucas that he was still in her heart, that she still deeply cared about him, even though she indeed needed time apart to think, Brooke momentarily stepped away from Nathan, back to Lucas.

"Hey Luke…" she bit her lower lip as he looked up at her questioningly and then with a small smile, offered him her purple monkey, just as she had done several weeks earlier, with the similar toy she had bought for the baby they had both been taking care of.

"You're giving me another purple monkey?" Lucas asked with amusement, unable to hide the small smile that crept up onto his face as he took the soft toy from her. When Brooke just winked at him and walked back to Nathan, allowing him to lead her away- Lucas realized that Brooke's simple gesture meant much more than it seemed. It meant that she was willing to trust him with something dear to her, it meant that she was willing to allow him to see her more vulnerable side- a childhood toy that was still damp from her tears, and in Brooke's world- that almost meant that she was giving him the key to her heart…

* * *

"Brooke… Brooke? Hey Davis-are you alright?" Nathan slightly nudged his friend as they both arrived at the police station, once he noticed that she had become slightly pale and a bit too quiet.

Flinching slightly, as she couldn't help but be edgy considering her lack of distance from the man who had attacked her, Brooke still managed to nod and force half a smile onto her face. "I'm fine, Nate" she quietly said, slightly nodding again as he gave her a skeptical look.

"We don't have to do this, you know…" Nathan felt obliged to remind Brooke, seeing as the color of her porcelain skin remained unhealthily white.

"I know, but I need this…" Brooke replied, looking into Nathan's eyes and seeking his understanding. When Nathan simply laced his fingers with hers and tilted his head towards the station's direction, Brooke sighed in relief, knowing that her friend saw just what she needed.

"Come on, Brooke" Nathan softly said as they began walking towards the station's entrance, "Let's get you some answers…"

As they finally entered the police station, Brooke couldn't help but shiver, yet as a young, friendly-looking cop smiled at them and started walking towards them, she managed to feel slightly less tense.

"I won't let anyone to get anywhere near you, Brooke" Nathan whispered to her just before Bob reached them, causing Brooke to smile at him gratefully and to be able to breathe just a bit better.

"Hi, Nate! How are you doing, man?" as Bob reached the two of them and spoke, Brooke was comforted to observe that he sounded just as nice and friendly as he looked. Still, she was grateful that Nathan kept her hand held securely in his and positioned himself between Bob and her as he greeted his friend back. She hated to admit it, but couldn't deny the fact that she was still uncomfortable with being physically close to other people and especially well-built men, other than Lucas, Nathan and Owen, who had been with her since her second attack and had treated her with such gentleness that she knew they would never be able to harm her. As she hesitantly glanced at Bob and studied him while he was having some light-hearted small-talk with Nathan, Brooke could tell that he, just like her friends, was truly a man who would protect the innocents, and not harm them. However, her need to speak up and ask questions about her attack as well as the courage she had been filled with while she was in the safety of her home left her now that she stood in the middle of the police station, even though the man before her seemed as kind as could be.

"Brooke, this is my friend- Bob" Brooke was quickly given yet another example of how gentle and caring Nathan was, as he slightly tightened his grip on her and looked at her with reassuring eyes while introducing her to his friend, upon observing her silent discomfort. Trying to convince Nathan that she was capable of overcoming her uneasiness, Brooke cleared her throat and raspily spoke.

"Hey" she said, yet her voice was nothing but a faint whisper, despite her attempts to keep it together. As Brooke internally cursed herself for being so weak, Bob simply smiled at her understandingly and refrained from getting any closer to her or trying to make any kind of physical contact with her, out of consideration to her still slightly sensitive state.

"Hi Brooke, it's nice to meet you" Bob simply said, giving her such a genuine smile, that Brooke suddenly found herself letting out a deep breath she didn't even realize that she was holding. She tried to put her anxiety aside, but could feel how her muscles were involuntarily tensing up. Brooke didn't know why, but even though Bob seemed like a genuinely nice person to her, she had this bad feeling in the pit of her stomach, that simply filled her body with tension and prevented her from being able to relax.

"Why don't we step into my office and talk" Bob quickly suggested as he observed how nervous Brooke seemed to be, "It's much less noisy and crowded there…" he pointed out, causing Brooke to nod in agreement, as she hoped that his offer would indeed help her get a grip over herself.

As she followed Bob over to his office, her hand still clutched tightly in Nathan's bigger, stronger palm, Brooke silently took deep breaths, trying to shake off the uneasy feeling that was almost paralyzing her since she entered the police station. She didn't know why, but she just felt like something was about to go terribly wrong without her having any ability to stop it.

"Are you sure you're alright with being here, Brooke?" Nathan suddenly asked Brooke in a hushed tone, not wanting to embarrass her in front of Bob, but needing to hear an honest response from her.

Brooke was just about to nod her head and reassure Nathan that she was doing alright when Bob unexpectedly halted his confident stride towards his room and whirled around, quickly approaching them and attempting to block Brooke's vision, so that she would be unable to see something.

"What's going on, man?" Nathan confusedly questioned, his puzzlement turning into concern as he felt Brooke's small palm tensing up in his grasp. "Davis- are you alright?" he immediately asked her, yet as his eyes moved from Bob over to the small brunette by his side and took in her rigid form and slightly widened, frightened eyes, Nathan immediately knew that she was not alright and that she had managed to see whatever Bob had tried to protect her from.

"We'd better get her out of here, Nate" Bob quickly instructed, and the urgency in his voice made Nathan realize that something critical must have just happened. As he glanced in the direction that Brooke's frozen gaze seemed to be stuck in and saw a handcuffed prisoner being led from the station's cells over to the interrogation rooms, Nathan's eyes slightly widened.

"Is this…?" he started asking while his eyes followed the large, muscular man as he crossed the hallway ahead of them, yet he didn't even need to complete his question, as Brooke's suddenly trembling hands and Bob's uncomfortable silence assured him that the huge, monstrous man before him was indeed the one that had attacked his poor friend.

As the realization that the beefy 6'7" giant before him was actually the one who had beaten up and strangled the fragile 5'4" brunette girl by his side dawned on Nathan, rage filled his body and he couldn't help but clench his free fist in anger. He had known that if he would ever come across the monster that had turned Brooke's life into a living hell, that he wouldn't be able to remain calm, but seeing that this man wasn't only bigger than Brooke but actually much bigger than Nathan was himself just caused Nathan to be furious.

As Nathan suddenly visualized the helpless state that Brooke must have been in while this huge man had unleashed his power upon her fragile, feminine form, his rage only increased, causing his eyes to blaze with red. It simply infuriated him to think about this man unfairly using his enormous strength against his small, gentle friend, who had undoubtedly been completely defenseless against him, as Nathan himself wouldn't have dared to challenge a man of his size.

"I want to kill him" Nathan growled through clenched teeth as he watched Brooke's attacker being led throughout the corridors of the station with red, hate-filled eyes. He was so consumed with a feeling of anger and loathing towards the handcuffed giant before him that he didn't really notice his surroundings until Bob suddenly addressed him.

"Nate- we'd better help her sit down" Bob said, immediately reminding Nathan to avert his attention away from the large man before him and back to the small brunette at his side. As his gaze fell on Brooke's face, his eyes darkened; not only was her skin still several shades too pale, but she truly looked like she was about to have a panic attack at any given moment.

"Brooke" Nathan quickly wrapped an arm around his friend's shoulders, only to observe that her body had become as rigid as a rock. As he began rubbing up and down Brooke's arm in an attempt to soothe her and noticed that Brooke's breathing was beginning to lose its stability- Nathan was truly growing concerned.

"Brooke… Come on, babe- talk to me" he pleaded, trying not to sound too alarmed, but feeling his heart starting to beat quicker with every second that was passing without a response from her. A non-responsive Brooke was not something that he knew how to deal with- it was Lucas who always managed to get her out of these concerning states, and with his blond brother absent- Nathan felt truly helpless handling the beautiful, yet frighteningly still and detached living doll at his side.

"Here, Nate- help me ease her down" much to Nathan's relief, Bob seemed to be more in control of the situation, as he suddenly appeared at his side, positioning a chair behind Brooke with one hand and holding a glass of water with the other. Nathan didn't even have time to express his surprise that Bob had gone and come back without him noticing, as all his attention was centered on Brooke.

"Alright, Brooke- we're gonna help you sit down now" Nathan gently explained as he shifted Brooke's weight into his arms and slowly seated her on the chair with Bob's help. As soon as she was stably positioned on the chair, Nathan felt his heart twitch at the sight of her shaking like a leaf and staring into space with glassy eyes, yet he forced himself to focus on helping her out and to suppress the need to throw objects around the room in anger due to the fact that the same man who had hurt Brooke twice was once again responsible for her hurting. Taking the glass from Bob's offering hand, Nathan brought it closer to Brooke's mouth and gently spoke.

"Come on, Brooke- take a sip of this, O.K.?" he softly offered, trying to get Brooke to drink some water by pressing the cup to her lips, but pulling it away as she didn't seem to respond, in fear that she would choke if he would be too insistent towards her in her catatonic state. Helplessly kneeling by Brooke's side, Nathan raised a pair of worried eyes up to Bob and was met with an identical expression on his friend's face. If Brooke wouldn't be able to snap out of the shocked state that she had regressed into, both men knew that they would need to have her checked by the station's paramedic at the least, and neither one of them wanted to see him send her back to the hospital after she had already spent much more than her fair share of time there recently. Nathan especially couldn't stand the thought of Brooke going through yet another painful experience, and as he glanced back at his trembling friend and noted how shaken up she looked, he could only imagine what terrible thoughts were plaguing her mind.

By the looks of her, Nathan was truly certain that Brooke was reliving her attack as a reaction to seeing her attacker, yet truthfully, the distant land to which Brooke had been swept contained some different thoughts as well. Frankly, the first thought that the sight of the monster that had attacked her aroused in her indeed was a recollection of the two terrible days in which this man had beaten her up or strangled her until she could no longer breathe. As she was filled with the hazy memory of herself lying helplessly in a pool of her own blood on her store's floor and fighting to remain conscious against her weakening, banged-up body, Brooke suddenly remembered how it had felt like to believe that you were about to die. The recollection of herself feeling as though she was seeping away from this world for good was the one that upon consuming her, caused Brooke to tremble and it was the intensity of this feeling that made Brooke unable to utter a word or feel anything other than this frightening feeling.

Even though at the time in which she had actually experience this indescribable feeling, Brooke had found relief in it and saw it as an opportunity to move on to a better place, now Brooke was speechlessly terrified by the recognition that she had actually been so physically beaten up that she could have even thought that she may not wake up and even more so- in such a bad emotional place that she could actually consider it as a possible blessing. Now, as she could vaguely feel Nathan stroking her hair- a caring, comforting gesture which reminded her of how much her friends had done for her since that dreadful day, how much her friends had proven to her that they loved her and wanted her around, Brooke couldn't help but shudder at the thought of how she had believed that she was about to be out of their lives for good.

As Brooke's mind was suddenly filled with a visual of Lucas' recently almost constant worried frown- an expression she know he had been wearing due to his care and concern for her during the difficult period of time she had been having, Brooke could feel her eyes filling with tears and the air in her lungs becoming scarce. He had been so good to her, so kind and caring, that Brooke now felt terrible with herself for having felt so peaceful with the thought of eternally parting with him after the attack in her store.

As once again a strong shockwave coursed through her body, recharging Brooke with the petrifying feeling that she had felt when she had thought that her minutes were numbered, Brooke could no longer hold her tears at bay and could feel them trickling down her cheeks. Only now did she truly realize how terrible her situation had been and how lucky she was to have her friends, and especially Lucas, surround her with such love that she was able to recover from that awful state and practically win her life back.

Brooke was suddenly filled with such a grand appreciation for life, with such a strong feeling that she was fortunate to be where she was today, that she knew she needed to take this second chance she had been granted and to make the most out of it. She now wanted to make every minute count- she now wanted to make sure that she wouldn't waste even a moment due to hesitation, fear or uncertainty and would be back to being that girl that nothing and nobody stood a chance against- that girl that would change the world.

Still detached from her surroundings, Brooke could vaguely feel Nathan brushing her tears away and could incoherently hear him speaking softly to her- either trying to soothe her or to get her to respond to him- she wasn't quite sure. She truly wanted to snap out of this non-responsive state and to assure him that she would be alright, yet as the realization of what she had been most hesitant and scared to experienced dawned on her, Brooke was left even more speechless than before and could feel yet another round of tears, which she was powerless to stop, wetting her cheeks.

In her entire life, Brooke only truly and fully loved one boy, who by now had become a young man- Lucas Scott. Even during tough times Brooke couldn't deny her love for Lucas, yet she now realized that ever since her heart had been broken by him for the second time- she hadn't allowed herself to truly give in to the possibility of getting back to him, as she had known that if he would break her heart for a third time, it would be unfixable. Now, however, after he had been so loyal, loving and caring to her, after she had seen that he truly seemed to be sincere about not going away this time, Brooke realized that it was probably time to give in to her heart. She suddenly understood how precious every moment in life was and realized that she simply couldn't waste time when life gave her something as good as love, as good as _Lucas'_ love…

When something cold was carefully pressed to her lips and cool liquid suddenly poured into her mouth, Brooke finally felt as though she could breathe again, but only for one moment. As soon as she tried to swallow and more water flowed into her small mouth, she was overcome with a fit of coughs, which caused whoever had been trying to help her drink to draw the bottle away from her mouth, so she could breathe. Through her coughs, Brooke could feel a large, gentle hand rubbing her back and looked up to see that it was Nathan and that he was looking at her with eyes full of concern.

"I…"

"Shh… Take it easy, Davis. Don't even think about talking right now" Nathan worriedly instructed, and even though Brooke truly wanted him to stop looking so concerned, she couldn't help but obey him, as she was still coughing and fighting to catch her breath.

"God… You really scared me, Brooke" Nathan admitted after a while, still rubbing Brooke's back as her coughs had become less heavy, yet still prevented her from being able to properly speak back to him. "Are you O.K.?" he worriedly asked her, knowing that she still couldn't talk back to him, but needing her to reassure him that she was back with him now, nonetheless.

When Brooke nodded her head while still coughing slightly, Nathan sighed in relief, yet as he suddenly noticed that tears were still streaming out of Brooke's eyes, he went right back to frowning. "Hey, what's wrong?" he softly questioned, worried that this unfortunate encounter was affecting Brooke more than she was letting on. Thinking that Brooke was trying to be strong in front of him, even though she really wasn't alright, Nate gently said, "You can talk to me, Brooke… What is it?"

"I…" Brooke tried to explain everything that she had thought about and realized after seeing her attacker, yet she choked up, her sore throat and her emotions both getting the better of her. Understanding that she needed to spare words, that she needed to express as much as possible with the fewest words she could, Brooke finally opened her mouth and tearfully said, "I need L…Lucas…" afterwards looking up at Nathan with her big, wet eyes, begging him to just do as she asked and not ask questions.

"You can talk to me too, Brooke" Nathan gently said to her, wanting her to know that he would also always be there for her, and not only his brother.

"I know, Nate… But right n-now I really need _him_" Brooke tried to make him see and something in her eyes caused Nathan to understand that she wasn't just saying that to make him feel better, but that for some reason- Lucas really was who Brooke needed at the moment.

"Alright, Brooke, here's what we'll do- let's sit and relax until Bob brings the paramedic here and I'll take you straight to Lucas once he's checked you and said that you're good to go, O.K.?" Nathan suggested, hoping that his offer would calm Brooke down, yet frowning when she shook her head in protest, sniffling and looking at him with pleading eyes.

"Brooke- you completely zoned out on us. It was so alarming that I really need this guy to take a look at you and make sure you're alright" he tried to reason with her, as he had yet to fully calm down from the scare she gave him, yet Brooke stuck to her stubborn ways and shrugged slightly.

"I'm fine, Nate" she mumbled through her tears, and if he wouldn't have been still tense and worried, Nathan would have laughed at how unconvincing she sounded at that moment. Instead, he took a deep breath and prepared to give her a protective, big brother kind of speech to convince her to wait for the check-up he wanted her to have.

"No, Brooke-"

"Nate, please…" Brooke interrupted his speech before he even started and the tears welling up in her soulful eyes and trickling down her cheeks silenced him and allowed her to continue speaking, "I _really_ need Lucas. I really need him right now…" she said, her eyes begging him to understand. She knew that it was a little childish, but now that she realized how much time of happiness she and Lucas had lost, she felt as though she couldn't waste even one more minute.

Caught in Brooke's begging gaze, Nathan took a deep breath and tried to find it in him to refuse Brooke's request, for her own good. However, as soon as he noticed how endless Brooke's trail of tears was and how much her lips seemed to quiver, Nathan knew that there was no way he could say no to her.

"Come on, Brooke. Let's get you home…" he comfortingly smiled at her and said, afterwards taking her small hand in his larger one and helping her up to her feet.

"Thank you, Nate…" Brooke quietly mumbled, still sniffling and tearing up, yet taking comfort in Nathan's support and in the fact that she was about to see Lucas soon.

"Anytime, Brooke" Nathan smiled and said, squeezing her hand supportively, "Remember that no matter what, I've got your back…" he told her honestly, causing Brooke to squeeze his hand back in gratitude.

Just as they were about to leave the police station, Bob finally returned, accompanied by a uniformed paramedic. "Where are you guys going, Nate? Brooke needs to get checked up…" Bob reminded Nathan, looking at him with sheer confusion.

Fearing that Nathan was about to start insisting again that the paramedic would take a look at her, Brooke was pleasantly surprised when she heard her dear friend say, "Nah, man- she's fine… She just needs to go home to Lucas…" and with that they left…

* * *

"Brooke… Why are you still crying, babe? We're almost home…" Nathan tried to cheer his friend up upon observing how jittery and distressed she had become the closer they got to her house. Grabbing her hand and squeezing it with support, Nathan couldn't help but wonder if he had done the right thing by listening to Brooke's request, as the occasional sniffles she had been uttering in the beginning of their ride home were becoming silent, yet increasingly rapid streams of tears.

"I'll b-be fine… I just… need to… talk… to Luke" she replied through strained breaths, which were so coated with emotion that Nathan couldn't help but worry. As Brooke's house came into view, Nathan realized that he had a good reason to be concerned, as his friend was trembling by his side, and as he glanced at her momentarily, he could see that she was now crying once again.

"Brooke…" Nathan gently said as slid into her driveway. He turned to face her and look at her with concern, yet knew that he couldn't truly comfort her until he would safely park the car. Slipping his hand away from hers in order to move the gear stick, Nathan was alarmed to hear Brooke beginning to sob uncontrollably. He quickly parked the car and was about to reach for her and wrap his arms around her, yet before he could do anything, Brooke managed to unbuckle her seatbelt and flee towards her house.

"Damn it, Brooke…" Nathan muttered as he unbuckled his own seatbelt and raced after her tracks, angry with himself for giving in to her pleading gaze when he could sense that she wasn't alright. He tried to catch up with Brooke, yet upon watching Lucas open the door at the sound of Brooke approaching it and confusedly welcoming her into his embrace after she sobbingly threw herself into his arms, Nathan stopped in his place and gave the pair some space.

"Brooke- baby, what's wrong?" Lucas asked, more in shock than in alarm, as Brooke's stormy return caught him completely off guard. When he understood that the only thing Brooke was currently capable of doing was holding onto him for dear life and crying her eyes out, Lucas raised a pair of puzzled, questioning eyes up to his brother. "What is this? What happened to her??" he asked, his tone beginning to fill with tension alongside his confusion.

"Look, man- there's no easy way to say this…" Nathan awkwardly shifted from one foot to another as he prepared his brother, and upon seeing Lucas' expectant gaze, he cut to the chase and simply explained, "We ran into Brooke's attacker at the station…" he said, afterwards watching the color drain out of his brother's face. Now it was safe to say that Lucas was officially alarmed.

"Shit!" Lucas exclaimed, his arms unconsciously wrapping themselves more tightly around the girl that was uncontrollably crying into his form, "Shit, Brooke. I'm so sorry, baby…" he emotionally said, apologizing for what he thought she was going through and for being unable to spare the pain he believed that she was currently experiencing. He couldn't have know that Brooke was crying for an entirely different reason; he couldn't have known that she was crying due to something that had yet to occur- something that scared Brooke out of her mind but that she was determined to do. At least not until Brooke suddenly spoke.

"I-It's not… It's n-not that…" she said, her words all jumbled up and uttered hastily in between her sobs, yet Lucas had heard her and averted his entire attention back to her, truly needing to hear what she had meant.

"Then what is it, Brooke?" he softly questioned her and upon looking at her red, tearful and tortured face, gently kissed her forehead and urged her to continue, "Tell me why you are crying, baby…" he shakily asked her, feeling his own emotions rising at the sight of her looking so upset and flustered.

"Because I'm scared…" Brooke confessed in a little voice, her sobs and the honesty of her confession filling Lucas' eyes with tears of his own. He assumed that Brooke was refilled with fear due to the sight of the monster that has hurt her, but sensing her need to let out what she was feeling, Lucas simply began rubbing her arms and looked at her caringly.

"Of what, baby girl?" he gently questioned when she just sniffled and cried, encouraging her to speak up.

"Of this-" Brooke was about to speak, yet her fear of being once again rejected and getting her heart broken once more overcame her, causing her to start sobbing louder.

"Hey… Don't cry, baby… I'm right here with you. I'm right here…" Lucas promised as he buried her deeply into his arms, feeling his heart ache as her body wracked with her sobs against him. Seeing her like this was simply unbearable for Lucas- so unbearable that several tears already slid onto his cheeks and rolled down his face. If he would have known what was troubling Brooke, Lucas was certain that he could make her feel at least slightly better, but with her explanation cut in the middle, all that Lucas could do was hold Brooke and try to soothe her with softly spoken, sweet words, and it was killing him to see that so far his attempts didn't seem to be helpful. Just as he inwardly cursed himself for listening to Brooke and not following her to the police station despite her wishes, Brooke finally managed to speak again.

"I-I need it… to be… different this… time" she said, causing both Lucas and Nathan to stare at her with puzzlement.

"What are you talking about, babe?" Lucas gently asked, not knowing how to respond to Brooke's mysterious statement.

"You h-have to pro…mise that it w-will be different!" Brooke emotionally begged of Lucas, causing him to feel truly frustrated that he didn't know what she was talking about and therefore couldn't promise her that.

"Brooke, I don't understand…" he carefully told her, looking at her with eyes eager for an explanation. As Brooke observed the caring tears and love in Lucas' eyes, she stifled her sobs back and tried to make the most sense she could in the heavy cloud of emotion she was in. In the end, she knew that there was one word that would instantly help him comprehend what she was trying to tell him.

"Us."

"Brooke…" Lucas' wet eyes widened in pure shock and his jaw slightly dropped as he processed what Brooke had just said to him. If this was what she was upset about, if this was what had been scaring her, then… Lucas slightly shook his head. He just couldn't believe that what he thought she meant could possibly be true…

"I need you to promise me that you won't hurt me again…" the tears were back, choking Brooke up, but now also streaming down Lucas' face as he grasped that he had understood correctly- that Brooke was actually willing to give him one more chance at shared happiness. He wanted to kiss Brooke, he wanted to hug her tightly and never let go, but when he saw that she still had more to say, he refrained from saying or doing anything and just heard her out. "You need to _promise_, Luke, because if you hurt me again, I just wouldn't be able to bear it…" Brooke's voice broke at the end of her sentence and despite biting her lower lip in an attempt to refrain from crying, her heartbreaking sobs soon filled the air again. She bowed her head and let her cries out for a moment, yet was soon interrupted by Lucas' gentle hand cupping her chin and carefully raising her face so she would look at him again.

"Hey…" Lucas softly said, affectively capturing Brooke's attention, "I'll never dare to hurt you again, Brooke. I swear to you on all that is dear to me that I will never ever intentionally do anything that could potentially hurt you, Brooke Davis" he promised, the sincerity in his eyes and the emotion projected through the dampness and redness of his blue orbs finally putting a small, tearful smile on Brooke's face.

Unable to contain his happiness anymore, Lucas quickly, yet gently pulled Brooke into his arms, hugging her to his body as close as he could and then kissing her on top of her head once and then once more. He still couldn't believe how lucky he was to have Brooke back in his arms, back as his girl after all those years, so when Brooke carefully drew away from his arms and faced him, Lucas couldn't help but slightly panic, thinking that maybe he had imagined this conversation in his head, maybe he was just daydreaming.

"I want us to take it slow, Luke…" Brooke almost shyly told him, yet when that was all she asked, Lucas immediately sighed in relief, once again feeling like the luckiest man in the world.

"Whatever you want, baby. Whatever you need…" he assured her, gently drying the new tears that fell onto Brooke's delicate cheeks and smiling at her reassuringly, even though he had fresh tears of his own in his eyes.

"I need us to go one step at a time" Brooke nodded at him and then said what he had been waiting weeks to hear her say, "But I want you, Luke… I want _us_…"

* * *

**AN: I really hope that this chapter turned out to be as good as I wanted it to be, despite my head being somewhere else part of the time... I would really appreciate it if you guys shared your thoughts with me this time...**

**I want to dedicate only the loving, happy parts of this chapter (and none of the tears and pain) to my grandmother, because that was all she was about. I love you, grandma! And I really hope that you can still somehow sense that and still somehow know how much you affected my life and filled my world with love. I truly pray that you really are in a better place and that some day- you and I will meet again...**


	29. Chapter 29

**Hi guys! First of all- I wanted to say how much I appreciated your support! As I already said last time- this hasn't been an easy time, yet your encouraging words made things so much better for me, so thank you! My life has been crazy lately- the fall semester in my university started and now I'm also working part-time, so the only time I've had to write this (and probably will have in the future) was on the train, on the way to class or back home... Anyway- Brucas are finally together in this chapter (although things will futuristically get even better for them), so for all of those who had been waiting for this moment- I hope you'll enjoy this! ;-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 29**

At 7:30 A.M. on a Saturday morning, Lucas Scott would usually be sleeping soundly, allowing himself to slumber until later than usual as a compensation for all those weekday mornings in which he had needed to wake up at the crack of dawn in order to coach an early morning practice. Even if he would wake up early on those weekend mornings, driven by habit- Lucas would always treat himself to a few more hours of sleep.

On this Saturday morning, however, Lucas was quite awake and had no desire to close his eyes and return to the cloudy land of his deepest desires and thoughts, as his biggest dream had come to life and was lying cuddled right next to him- peacefully resting from the eventful day that she previously had and dreaming sweet dreams that were reflected by the soft smile on her beautiful face. Looking at her, all the exhaustion that Lucas accumulated during the week instantly faded away for him, as all he could think about was how unbelievably lucky he was to be with her for real again.

As Brooke suddenly inched closer to him in her sleep, unconsciously tucking her head into the crook of his arm, Lucas smiled to himself and kissed her on top of her head, afterwards starting to rub soft circles on her back. They had had an extremely good night- free of nightmares for Brooke and finally completely peaceful for Lucas. Even though Brooke had told him that she would need them to advance slowly, he was extremely glad and relieved to find out that she was willing to come back to bed with him, even if the only thing they were currently doing in that bed was actual sleeping. Lucas knew that the only reason Brooke allowed him to share a bed with her so early on was that she was still scared to be alone at night and that his presence had a calming influence on her, but he was willing to take what she was giving him and wait. As hard as it was, he was willing to be patient, as simply falling asleep with Brooke in his arms was one of the most relaxing and wonderful feelings in the world.

"Mmm… Broody…" when Brooke incoherently mumbled in her deep sleep and rolled over so her limbs were even more intertwined with those of her bed partner, Lucas needed to forcefully restrain the urge to wake her up and kiss her like he was still anxiously waiting to kiss her. He knew that he had promised to take it slow, and he most certainly didn't want to overwhelm Brooke, which was why he had only given Brooke extremely gentle hugs and kisses during the previous night, yet the more time he was spending with her, the harder it was becoming to ignore the feelings and urges that Brooke aroused in him.

Still, wanting to respect Brooke's wishes for a slow pace, Lucas simply kissed Brooke on top of her head and continued stroking her back. Being a gentleman sure as hell wasn't easy, but for Brooke- it was completely worth it…

After watching Brooke for a few more moments, Lucas decided that he wanted to give her a peaceful, relaxing day, to make up for all the stress she had undergone during the past few days. Knowing that chocolate-chip pancakes almost always managed to lift Brooke's spirits up, Lucas decided to sneak down to the kitchen and wake Brooke up with some breakfast in bed, yet his plan completely backfired once, upon carefully getting up, he still managed to wake Brooke up, as she was too attached to his side to be uninterrupted by his movements.

"Come back to bed, Luke. It's still early and I'm cold…" Brooke whined with half-open eyes and shivered as Lucas' body warmth was suddenly replaced with the feeling of the cool sheets against her skin.

"Well, good morning to you too, pretty girl" Lucas chuckled and bent down to peck her on her temple, "It's nice to know that all I am to you is a body that keeps you warm at night…" he teased, feigning hurt, yet unable to hide a smile when he watched Brooke letting out a big yawn and stretching her body out in bed, obviously still too sleepy to be self-conscious about her actions. He found that to be simply adorable.

"You're not just a warm body, Luke, but right now I really am tired and cold" Brooke groaned as she felt shivers going up her spine again, causing Lucas to laugh wholeheartedly. Trembling slightly, Brooke closed her eyes and tried to snuggle deeper into the blankets that were wrapped around her, yet just as she found a comfortable position and started feeling the sleep overcoming her again, Lucas spoke.

"Well, pretty girl, do you think that some chocolate-chip pancakes could help you warm up?" he asked with a smirk, which quickly turned to a chuckle when Brooke suddenly shot up, looking at him with alert, wide-open eyes.

"Did you just say chocolate-chip pancakes?" she questioned with true interest, looking as awake as she would usually only be after her large morning dose of caffeine, causing Lucas to laugh out loud. Throughout everything that had happened, he had almost forgotten how amusing Brooke could be at times.

"Yes I did, my dear" Lucas theatrically replied, causing Brooke to giggle slightly, "Would you like some homemade pancakes?" he suggested, frowning in surprise when Brooke shook her head.

"No- I want some breakfast-diner pancakes" Brooke told him, and upon seeing the look of slight hurt in his eyes, as he felt as though she had rejected his offer, she quickly explained, "I just ran out of whipped cream, and it's not chocolate-chip pancakes without whipped cream…" she said with a gentle shrug, putting the smile back on Lucas' face. Staring at the small, nightgown-clad brunette before him- Lucas simply couldn't help but be mesmerized by her beauty and adorable nature.

"Alright, babe- diner pancakes it is…" he said, his tone distant as he was busy admiring the flawless porcelain skin, dazzling green eyes and luscious lips of the gorgeous woman sitting before him.

"What?" Brooke uncomfortably smiled and asked, suddenly feeling self-conscious with the way Lucas was staring at her. Awkwardly looking down at herself, Brooke suddenly realized how thin the material of her lavender nightgown was and immediately crossed her arms over her chest, thinking she knew exactly what Lucas was daydreaming about, considering how cold she was. Lucas, however, surprised her by replying.

"Nothing… You just look beautiful, that's all…" he honestly said, and even though Brooke now believed him that he had been admiring her beauty and not other assets of hers, she still couldn't help but blush under his deep, penetrating gaze.

"Stop looking at me like that…" Brooke quietly asked, glancing up at him and immediately shying away from the admiring and loving gaze she found in Lucas' eyes. She truly felt like he was undressing her with his eyes, though not in the matter of taking off her clothes, yet in the much more startling manner of unpeeling the layers to her soul, and that just scared her. Brooke knew that she had promised herself to stop hiding, but she still found herself overwhelmed with opening herself up like that to someone else, as no man had ever been so deep in her soul other than Lucas, and the last time she had trusted him with her heart and had let him all the way in had been a long time ago…

"Luke…" Brooke pleaded yet again as her bedroom was filled with silence as she could still feel Lucas' eyes gazing right at her.

"I'm sorry babe, I can't help it…" Lucas apologized as he settled down on the bed on Brooke's side. He cupped Brooke's cheek and stroked her skin with his thumb until she mustered the strength to look up at him. "I'm just really dying to kiss you right now…" he confessed, his thumb moving over to brush against Brooke's lower lip, causing her to shiver slightly.

The two of them were caught in a mutual, intense gaze, their breaths growing slightly rugged as Lucas gradually closed the gap between the two of them and carefully planted a slow, soft kiss on the side of Brooke's mouth. Carefully pulling back from her, he looked into her hazel eyes, which were shaded with both uncertainty and lust, and asked for permission to do more than he had just done. Even though he was barely able to resist the urge to press his lips back against Brooke's soft, perfect lips, especially with the way she was letting out jagged breaths through them, Lucas wanted to make sure that Brooke was alright with that and that she wanted it too.

When Brooke hesitantly moved her head towards Lucas' head, obviously still contemplating which was greater- her desire to kiss Lucas or her fear of doing so, Lucas took the opening that she was giving him and gently pulled Brooke's face towards his face, now taking her lips in his and kissing her gently. Upon noticing that Brooke was still only responding to his actions with hesitance, Lucas was about to stop, but just then, he felt Brooke opening her mouth, inviting him to deepen his kiss.

With one hand still cupping Brooke's cheek and the other finding its way to Brooke's hips, Lucas did as he was permitted to do- slipping his tongue into Brooke's mouth to caress her, and pulling her flush against him- in order to intensify his actions. As Lucas began to draw soft patterns against Brooke's hip, he could suddenly feel her moaning in pleasure into his mouth, stimulating him to pull Brooke even tighter against him and to further intensify his actions.

As Brooke suddenly slipped her own tongue into Lucas' mouth- no longer shy or hesitant, but all of a sudden becoming the seductive vixen she used to be back in high school, Lucas felt as though he was losing his mind. He was completely overcome with passion for a few moments, and when he regained the ability to think coherently- he found out that Brooke had somehow been hoisted onto his lap and was now sitting across it, straddling him. His hand, which had been tracing circles against Brooke's hip, instinctively moved down to Brooke's thigh and, as if it had a mind of its own, began massaging Brooke's soft, warm skin. With his actions still controlled by his body rather than by his mind, Lucas could feel himself slipping his fingers under Brooke's thin nightgown and moving them up her thigh, as his need to feel Brooke's body again became insatiable. He was still attacking Brooke's lip with his as he greedily grabbed onto Brooke's thigh, feeling as though no matter how close to him she was, no matter how much of her body he was touching, he just couldn't get enough of her.

When Brooke finally grew short of breath and pulled away from him, still sitting on his lap and still held securely in his possessive grasp, Lucas stared at her striking features and immediately wanted to press his lips to hers all over again; she was just sitting there on top of him, panting due to their heated make-out session, her lips flushed and slightly swollen and her hair curtaining over her face as she stared at him and struggled to even out her breaths. To him, she was simply the sexiest thing he had ever seen. Just staring at her when she looked like that- her hazel eyes still filled with lust, her chest still heaving erratically with her uneven breaths and her skin still extra-soft as it would always be in the mornings, before the stress of the day became evident in her tensed-up muscles, aroused Lucas' primitive side. Simply looking at her at that moment filled Lucas with the urge to pin her flawless body underneath him and to take her right there, yet he knew that it was too soon and that he still couldn't. Lucas therefore opted for tucking Brooke's hair behind her ear and gently stroking her cheek as he admiringly continued watching her attempts to regain her composure from their intense kiss.

"I guess this means that you're hungry for breakfast too…" Brooke finally broke the silence as she managed to stabilize her breaths and kinked her eyebrow as she suggestively said. As she playfully bit her lower lip and smiled at Lucas seductively, he couldn't help but chuckle and nod in agreement.

"Oh, I'm definitely hungry for breakfast, pretty girl, but I think that right now I'd rather skip right to dessert…" Lucas teased back, causing Brooke to giggle and soon to squeal as he rolled them both backwards, positioning Brooke on her back and hovering over her petite frame. Brooke pleasurably laughed as Lucas began attacking her neck, kissing and gently nibbling her delicate skin. Giggling in delight, Brooke pulled Lucas' mouth to her own for another brief, yet passionate kiss, before flipping him onto his back and hopping out of bed. It was the last thing she wanted to do, but Lucas was turning her on more and more by the minute, and she knew that if she wouldn't stop things now- there was no chance that they would be taking it slow…

"Hey! What happened to my dessert?" Lucas protested immediately after he had come out of his lustful daze and realized that Brooke was no longer by his side. He raised his eyes and upon spotting Brooke coming out of her walk-in closet, he rose to his feet and approached her, wanting to continue his abruptly interrupted actions. Much to his dismay, however, Brooke had other plans in mind.

"Not so fast, broody boy…" she told him with a teasing smile, "We have a seven-course meal ahead of us, so you'll have to wait a little for dessert…" and with that she winked at him and disappeared into the hallway, leaving Lucas alone in her room- hungry, turned on, and craving dessert more than ever…

* * *

"Don't you guys just love dessert?" Brooke happily chirped to her friends at the diner table they were sitting in later that morning, as they were served their breakfast dishes- Brooke receiving a large stack of pancakes and whipped cream, to no one's surprise.

"Brooke…" Lucas grumbled in displeasure, giving Brooke a look that could only be described as pure misery.

"What?" Brooke feigned innocence as she stared at him with big eyes, yet her wide, mischievous smile betrayed her. "Mmm… So yummy!" as she stuffed a spoonful of whipped cream into her mouth and pulled the spoon out, teasingly slowly, Lucas felt like he was about to lose control, much to his friends' entertainment.

"You're really not being fair, you know that?" Lucas pointed out, causing all those present to laugh and then start digging into their dishes as well.

Looking at all of his dear friends who were currently sharing his and Brooke's breakfast table- Rachel, Owen, Nathan, Haley and Jamie- Lucas couldn't help but be glad to have them by his and Brooke's side. Even though he had originally wanted to spend some time exclusively with Brooke, he was actually glad that Brooke had insisted on bringing their friends along for breakfast, as it seemed to make Brooke even more cheerful and happy than before.

Lucas assumed that their friends noticed how his hand was protectively positioned on top of Brooke's knee as they sat side by side, but he was pleased to see that none of them mentioned anything, for he was certain that speaking about the change in their relationship would make things awkward for himself and for Brooke, and he really didn't want to ruin the carefree atmosphere that surrounded them. Lucas knew for certain that at least Nathan was aware of what was going on between the two of them, as he had witnessed Brooke's heartfelt speech on the previous night. Therefore, he was sure that Nathan would initiate a brotherly talk with him sooner or later, and for this reason, he was pleased and thankful that for now- Nathan was only smirking at him every once in a while, but was refraining from saying a word.

As Brooke continued happily eating her food, seeming to have a true appetite for the first time since her second attack, Lucas smiled contently and began to idly rub circles over her knee. It was good to see Brooke finally eating healthily again, especially considering the fact that she seemed to enjoy herself so much.

"Do you want some?" as Brooke suddenly sensed that Lucas was gazing at her, she lifted her eyes from her food and over to him and sweetly offered, ready to hand over the spoonful she had prepared for herself to him. Caught up in the moment, as Lucas' striking eyes captured her complete attention, Brooke forgot all about her friends, who were currently staring at her curiously. She was ready to feed Lucas with the spoonful of pancakes and whipped cream, when Jamie's high-pitched voice suddenly piped in, snapping both Brooke and Lucas back to reality.

"I want some, aunt Brooke" he innocently said, looking at Brooke with big, excited eyes, unaware of the intimate moment he had just interrupted. Haley, Nathan, Rachel and Owen stifled laughs as Brooke and Lucas straightened themselves out, clearing their throats uncomfortably, as they were embarrassed about being swept away to a world of their own in front of their friends and especially in front of Jamie.

"I mean- may I please have some pancakes?" Jamie corrected himself after being met with silence, naively thinking that the reason he hadn't received an answer was that he hadn't spoken with all the proper manners his mother had taught him.

"Of course you may, little man" Brooke finally came to her senses and replied, "Come over here, handsome" she beckoned him over, helping him onto her lap and handing him her spoon, so he could eat as much of her meal as he would like.

"I missed you, aunt Brooke" Jamie suddenly said, and even though his tone had been completely casual and his mouth had been filled with food- Brooke couldn't help but be touched by his honest statement.

"I missed you too, buddy" she truthfully replied, kissing the young boy on top of his head and tightening her grasp on his small body, "But I'm back now. I promise that I'm really back…" she said, putting a genuine smile on all of her friends' faces, for they knew that it was true, for they knew that finally- their dear Brooke was truly back…

* * *

"So, do you want to start this talk, or should I do this?" Nathan asked Lucas later that day, as the entire gang was hanging out in the river court.

"What do you want to know?" Lucas sighed in response. He had known that Nathan would bring this up at some point, but until that moment, he had thought that he could avoid this talk for the day. Now, however, as the two of them were sitting on the river court's bench on their own, watching Owen and Jamie beating Rachel, Brooke and Haley in a game of basketball, Lucas realized that it was time for a brotherly talk.

"Are you guys really gonna do this, Luke?" Nathan's piercing blue eyes met his brother's identical ones and questioned, curiosity and concern evident in his gaze.

"Yeah, Nate, we are…" Lucas said with a smile, averting his gaze back to Brooke and smiling when he saw her trying to steal the ball away from Jamie, only to have him score two more points.

"Did you guys… you know?" Nathan asked with a smirk, suddenly resembling the juvenile high school version of himself so much, that Lucas let out a chuckle before shaking his head with an amused yet quite existent frown.

"No, man- what did you think?" Lucas said, still laughing in amazement of his brother's question, yet his tone stressing his deep sincerity, "All we did was sleep together" he added, yet when Nathan kinked his eyebrow, causing Lucas to understand how his words came out, he corrected himself, "I meant slept in the same bed… Geez, Nate, what kind of guy do you think I am?" he asked defensively, "Sure, we fooled around a bit, but we sure as hell didn't go the whole way. I know she's not ready for that yet. I'm not gonna pressure her into anything…"

"Good. That's just what I wanted to hear" Nathan said with satisfaction, his serious expression immediately causing him to once again look like the mature man he had grown into. When he saw the slightly offended look on Lucas' face, Nathan sighed and felt the need to say, "Listen, Luke- I know that this may come out kind of weird, because you're my brother and not Brooke, but to me- she's also a part of my family. I know you're a really good guy, it's just that after what Brooke has been through lately, I promised myself not to let her get hurt by anyone…" Nathan explained, causing Lucas to nod understandingly. He was actually glad that Brooke had someone like Nathan watching over her like that.

"It's cool, Nate- I get it…" Lucas nodded at Nathan, signaling to him that they shared an understanding. Both of their gazes then drifted back to their friends playing on the small, shabby court they had both grown up playing in, and they were both pleased to see that none of their friends seemed to have heard their man to man talk. A wide smile soon graced both Lucas and Nathan's faces as they saw Jamie dribbling the ball as he advanced towards the hoop, afterwards throwing the ball and making the shot- nothing but net.

Lucas and Nathan's smiles soon turned into humored chuckles as they watched Brooke snatching the ball and hugging it as she ran across the court. She was immediately followed by Owen, who grabbed onto her, causing her to shriek, but to only tighten her grasp on the ball. Soon enough, Brooke was lifted from the ground by one of Owen's strong arms, while the other was still trying to pry the ball out of her tight grip, all the while Rachel was trying to help Brooke out by tickling Owen's sides. Clearly, the only person who seemed to actually know and follow the real rules of basketball was Jamie…

"By the way- I'm happy for you, man" Nathan finally gave Lucas his blessing, turning his gaze from their friends on the court and over to Lucas and giving him a smile, "Just enjoy being happy, and make her happy" Nathan said, causing Lucas to respond with a grin.

"Thanks, Nate- I'll do that" Lucas replied, grateful to have his brother's support. As the two brothers suddenly heard Brooke squealing once again, afterwards jokingly calling out for Lucas and asking for his help, they both turned their attention back to the court, only to find Brooke hanging over Owen's shoulder, while he was busy trying to exchange the girl in his grasp for the much desired basketball, which Rachel was now possessively holding.

"I guess that's my cue…"Lucas shook his head in amazement and chuckled, sincerely wondering how a game of basketball, with all the clear rules that it had, ended up like what he was seeing before his eyes.

While Brooke's giggles and light-hearted protests filled the air, Lucas advanced towards her and Owen, finally pausing when he was face to face with the large bartender who had lately become a true friend to him.

"Alright, Owen- you had your fun beating the girls, but now let's get to the real business…" Lucas offered, crossing his arms over his chest and trying to sound as serious as he could while seeing Brooke's body squirming on Owen's shoulder.

"What do you have in mind?" Owen asked, chuckling as Brooke made yet another failing attempt at climbing off his shoulder.

"I'll give you my offer in exchange for that pretty girl you've got over there…" Lucas bargained, causing Owen to chuckle and to flip Brooke's body into both of his arms.

"Fair enough… There you go" Owen said, handing Brooke's light body over to Lucas, who gripped her, bridal style, before carefully helping her back to her feet.

"My hero!" Brooke dramatically flung herself into Lucas' arms, earning herself a chuckle and a hug from him, "You saved me from the big, mean dragon!" she teased and jokingly glared at Owen, now causing all those present to wholeheartedly laugh.

"I was glad to be at your service, Lady Penelope" Lucas went along with Brooke's playful charade and was rewarded with the sound of her lovely raspy laugh. Pulling away from Brooke, Lucas wrapped an arm around her shoulders and turned to face Owen.

"Now that this is settled, how about us four men have a real basketball game?" Lucas finally made his offer, earning an approving nod from Owen.

"I call Jamie!" Nathan immediately appointed his team-mate, receiving a huge grin and a high-five from his son.

As Rachel tossed the ball over to Owen and, along with Haley, cleared the court for the men in the group, Brooke suddenly pressed her lips to Lucas' cheek and softly whispered into his ear, "Go get 'em, boyfriend!" afterwards winking at him and following the girls to the bleachers, yet leaving him in a total daze.

Lucas knew that it might have been a simple slipup, but finally hearing Brooke calling him her boyfriend, after waiting for that moment for so long, just made his day. It made him smile, it made his heart flutter and it made him feel like things were on their way to becoming simply perfect…

* * *

**AN: I hope you liked this, because I definitely enjoyed finally writing a Brucas chapter! I promise that during the next chapter, Brooke and Lucas' relationship will improve even more, but just remember- the drama is no where near over yet... As always, just when things seem perfect- unexpected things will somehow manage to appear... ;-)**


	30. Chapter 30

**Hi guys! I know it's been a long time, but I had a lot going on and wanted this chapter to be perfect! I want to dedicate this chapter to one of my amazing readers- Shana! You're so awesome, hun, and I have a feeling you'll like the fact that I chose specifically this chapter to dedicate to you (you'll see why by the end...). To all of you- I hope you enjoy this! ;-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 30**

Brooke's brown locks fell over her face as Lucas pulled her closer to him and crashed his lips against her ruby lips, passionately kissing her. Moving one of his hands from her body up to her face- Lucas tucked her hair behind her ear, not pausing his lust-filled actions even for a moment. His other hand tightened its grip on Brooke's hip as he tugged Brooke towards him, pulling his lips away from Brooke's only to briefly smirk as Brooke climbed onto his lap to straddle him, immediately afterwards attacking her mouth once again and squeezing her body to him.

They were both sitting on Brooke's bed with their nightwear, having woken up just recently- onto to engage straight in a heated make-out session. Just like during the previous morning- Lucas had woken up and had been unable to resist himself once Brooke had also opened her eyes. He had begun by giving her mouth a gentle peck, as if to only say good morning, but after stealing a few more kisses and causing the brunette beauty by his side to slightly giggle- the situation quickly escalated to the current one- in which Brooke was sitting on top of Lucas, and he was restraining himself with all his might from acting upon the intense urges that Brooke managed to stir in him.

Upon feeling how Brooke was growing short of breath, Lucas forced himself to detach his mouth from her soft lips. Cupping her cheek, Lucas gently pulled Brooke away from him, so he could face her. He was truly mesmerized by the sight he was seeing before him.

"God, baby- you're so beautiful…" Lucas mumbled, stroking Brooke's cheek as she tried to catch her breath. Unable to help himself, Lucas bent his head towards Brooke's neck and attached his mouth to her flesh, kissing and sucking her skin. As he could feel how Brooke's breaths were beginning to grow even more rugged than they had been so far- Lucas found himself losing his calm as well, and once Brooke's head fell backwards, giving Lucas more access to the porcelain skin of her neck- Lucas became detached from everything other than Brooke. He could only feel and sense Brooke.

"Luke…" when a soft moan of pleasure escaped Brooke's lips, Lucas felt like any rational thinking completely left his mind. As his mouth remained busy familiarizing itself with Brooke's elegant neck again, one of his hands snaked under her nightgown to grope her thigh, while the other held her up from under her arm- skimming over the side of Brooke's breast and causing her to involuntarily whimper.

"You feel so good, pretty girl…" Lucas breathed out into Brooke's skin, receiving only jagged breaths as a response. He knew that he should probably restrain himself, but nonetheless- his mouth only kept going down Brooke's posture as his hand only kept going up Brooke's thigh. Lucas realized that they were rushing and that even though Brooke wasn't stopping him- that he owed it to her to slow down, but he had missed feeling her like that so much, that he really couldn't bring himself to stop.

As the strap of Brooke's nightgown fell off of her left shoulder, exposing more of her flawless skin, Lucas hungrily dove to cover the newly revealed flesh with his mouth. When his passionate kisses trailed closer and closer to Brooke's breasts, which were still pretty much covered, Brooke let out a cry of pleasure and involuntarily grinded her hips against Lucas' hips, causing him to tighten his grip on her and to further intensify his actions.

"Luke…" a soft gasp escaped Brooke's mouth as Lucas' kisses reached the part of her flesh that began rounding into her breast. She couldn't believe how good Lucas was making her feel, as, even though he had always known how to pleasure her, he hadn't even once touched the most sensitive parts of her body yet. Still, as she released yet another soft cry of delight, Brooke felt like she was in heaven. She realized that she must be reacting to Lucas' touch so intensely since it had been so long since she had let him touch her like that, or anyone else, for that matter, and therefore her entire body must be extremely sensitive to the touch. Therefore, even though she knew she should ask Lucas to slow down, in order for them to be able to gradually build their relationship, in a healthier way, Brooke simply could say a word, as she had given in to the sensations that Lucas was arising in her.

Just as Lucas was about to push Brooke's nightgown slightly down, so he could get reacquainted with those two perfect, round mounds of hers, which never failed to turn him on, Brooke's bedroom door swiftly opened, causing both Brooke and Lucas to jump and quickly straighten their clothes out.

"Well, well, well…" standing at the entrance of Brooke's room was Rachel, who was smirking amusedly as she stared at her two uncomfortable-looking friends. "I came to see if you were doing alright, since I thought I heard you call out" Rachel said to Brooke, her smirk widening as Brooke buried her face in her hands with embarrassment, "but apparently- you are just fine…" Rachel playfully raised an eyebrow as she said, taking in the sight of her friend intimately sitting on the blond man's lap while being held in his tight, protective embrace.

"Rache, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about me and Luke…" Brooke forced herself to pull her face out of her hands and face her friend, feeling bad about the way Rachel officially found out about her and Lucas. She had wanted to properly tell her that Lucas and her were now a couple several times, but she just didn't find the right way to say it yet.

"It's O.K., Brooke- I have eyes, you know…" Rachel pointed out with a smirk, afterwards teasingly adding, "Just put a scrunchie on your doorknob next time, would you?" she said, causing Brooke to bury herself into Lucas' chest, feeling as awkward as ever.

"By the way- you have a visitor" Rachel told Brooke, causing her to peek her eyes out of Lucas' broad chest, "Bob, Nathan's friend from the police, is downstairs" she elaborated. When she noticed how Lucas was beginning to rub Brooke's back and saw the brunette shivering slightly, she was quick to add, "It's alright, Brooke- he said he just wanted to apologize for what happened at the station…"

As Brooke slumped into Lucas' body with a groan and laid her head on his shoulder, Lucas and Rachel exchanged worried glances. Embracing Brooke's small form and starting to stroke up and down her back, Lucas quietly said to Rachel, "Tell him we'll be down in a minute, O.K.?" causing Rachel to nod and disappear out of the room, to give Brooke and Lucas some privacy.

Left alone with the silent girl in his arms, Lucas tightened his embrace and continued to gently rub her back. "Hey…" he slightly nudged her with his nose, "Are you O.K.?" he softly asked, receiving a small nod from Brooke.

"I'm fine… I just thought I could forget about the attack for more than two seconds, but I guess that's a crime…" Brooke replied with a sigh, causing Lucas' eyes to fill with understanding.

"I'm sorry, baby…" he sympathized, giving her shoulder two soft kisses and causing her to snuggle into him and nuzzle her face into his neck as she relished in his warmth and understanding. "You know I would also rather stay in bed with you forever and forget about the rest of the world…" he told Brooke, causing her to smile slightly.

"Thanks, Luke" she expressed her gratitude as she pulled herself out of his body and faced him, "You always know what to say…"

"That's what I'm here for" Lucas honestly told her, his ocean-colored eyes staring intently into Brooke's hazel orbs, wanting to show her that he meant it when he said he would be there for her. After Brooke slightly nodded, telling him that she knew he was willing to support her, Lucas lightly added, "Well… That, and some other things too, I hope…" he said, playfully looking at Brooke as he squeezed her sides with desire, succeeding in his attempt to put a full smile on her face.

"I'd better get dressed before you can show me what you mean…" she giggled and hopped out of Lucas' lap, disappearing into her walk-in closet to get some clothes and leaving Lucas to wonder how he could be so lucky to have this crazy, beautiful girl as his own again…

* * *

"Hi Brooke, I hope I'm not disturbing you by coming here…" Bob greeted Brooke when she finally came downstairs- her attire simple, her hair held up in a messy bun and Lucas standing right at her side, his hand protectively positioned on the small of her back.

"Not at all, Bob. I'm sorry you had to wait…" Brooke replied kindly, gesturing towards the living room in an offer that they all sit down comfortably. Once they were all seated on the living room couches, Bob finally spoke.

"Brooke- I wanted to apologize for what you had been through because of the investigator's mistake. Your attacker wasn't scheduled to be questioned at the time that you came. If he had been- I wouldn't have told you and Nathan to come at that time…" Bob expressed his sorrow for the unfortunate event, obviously still feeling guilty about what had happened.

"It's O.K., Bob- it wasn't your fault" Brooke shrugged and replied, casting her eyes down for a moment, only to feel Lucas' hand beginning to draw soft circles on her back. She quickly raised her gaze and confidently said, "and I'm fine now" she told Bob, afterwards moving her gaze over to the concerned blond by her side, "Really…" she said, wanting both men to be convinced of that.

"I'm glad…" Bob told her, looking considerably more relieved than he had been moments earlier. He waited for a moment before suggesting, "Well, we never actually got to talking about what you came to speak to me about, so if you would like, I can tell you what we currently know regarding your investigation file" he told Brooke, feeling like it was the least he could do after everything she had been through.

"Are you sure about anything at this point?" Brooke surprised both Lucas and Bob by asking, yet when she seemed genuinely eager for a response, Bob hesitantly replied.

"Right now we are not one-hundred percent sure about anything, but-"

"Well, can you please just talk to me when you are? Right now I just want to put what happened behind me and focus on being happy, and not drive myself crazy with assumptions that could be wrong…" she explained, causing both men to nod with understanding.

"Of course, Brooke- I will talk to you when we have new information or if we are certain we know who is behind this" he promised, causing Brooke to smile with relief.

"Thank you, Bob" she said, expressing her gratitude not only for the fact that he had been so understanding, but also- for how his actions were allowing her to have some peace of mind. She felt like now she could put what had happened to her behind- at least for a while, she felt like now she could focus on herself and on Lucas, and for the first time in a while- she felt like maybe now she could finally be truly and completely be happy again…

* * *

"Aunt Brooke- who's Ted Smith?" Jamie asked Brooke later that day as he sat on the counter at her store, holding a newspaper in his hand, while Brooke was busy making alterations to the clothes that Nathan was trying on. In response to his question, Brooke raised her eyes up to his and looked at him with surprise.

"He has a clothing company like I do" she explained and then turned to intrigue, "Why would you ask, little man?" she questioned, looking at him with slightly confused eyes.

"He's talking about you in the newspaper" Jamie shrugged in response, holding out the newspaper he had looked at, so Brooke could see it for herself.

"_Tiffany's Closet_'s sales soar, leaving _Clothes over Bros'_ behind for a second month in a row" Brooke read out loud, frowning slightly.

"Brooke…" Nathan gently pronounced her name as he came up to her and attempted to take the newspaper away from her, as he didn't want to see her becoming upset. Brooke, however, quickly moved the paper out of his reach and kept on reading, obviously intent on knowing what had been said about her company.

"Ted Smith: Without the magic hands of Brooke Davis,_ Clothes over Bros'_ is no longer an equal opponent to our company" Brooke finished reciting the title of the article, afterwards positioning the newspaper on the counter, next to Jamie.

"He's an idiot, Brooke" Nathan replied in response to Brooke's silence, "I mean, come on- how gay does a guy have to be in order to design women's clothes?!" he added, speaking out his mind out of anger that this man's words had managed to hurt his friend and by so- putting a smile on Brooke's face.

"Don't worry about him, Nate. It's no big deal…" Brooke replied with a shrug, still smiling due to Nathan's comment, "And besides- he's right about one thing- I do have magic hands…" she teasingly said, wiggling her fingers and coming up to tickle Jamie, causing him to giggle.

"You… sure d-do… aunt… Brooke…" Jamie replied in between laughs, causing Brooke to cease her actions and to hug her supportive godson instead.

"Thanks, little man" she said, kissing the side of Jamie's head before releasing him and saying, "Besides- maybe now Ted Smith thinks that he has no competition, but once I'll be back at _Clothes over Bros'_ and launch my new line- he's going to be the one who won't stand a chance!" she declared with a huge dimpled grin, causing both son and father to smile with agreement.

"That's right, Brooke- that jerk won't know what hit him!" Nathan replied with a nod, receiving a thankful smile from his friend, "You've been working so hard- everyone will be blown away" he added, causing Brooke to sigh with disagreement.

"Actually- I'd better get _back_ to work if I want to see that happening…" she replied, putting a frown on Nathan's face.

"_Actually_" Nathan corrected, "I believe you deserve _a break_ from work right about now" he said, crossing his arms over his chest and advising, as a protective big brother would, touching Brooke's heart and causing her to smile.

"I'm perfectly fine, Nate" she replied, walking back to grab the needle she had left behind in order to start working again already.

"Brooke…"Nathan tried to still her actions and get her to rest a bit, bearing in mind that even though it was in no way reflected upon the cheerful girl facing him- that Brooke was still healing. Even though her recovery process was almost complete, Nathan was concerned that if Brooke would pressure herself too much- she would have a relapse, and he was therefore keen on making sure that she wasn't overworking herself. Brooke, however, had other plans in mind.

"I really am fine" Brooke insisted, flashing Nathan her dimpled smile and causing him to sigh, as he knew he had lost their argument, "Look- I promise to rest tonight, O.K.?" she tried to make a compromise in order to show Nathan that she appreciated his care and concern. Once Nathan nodded his head, knowing that he wouldn't be able to convince Brooke otherwise, Brooke's smile widened and she cheerfully said, "Now let's get back to work, hot shot- now I need to make some clothes that will not only amaze my executive board, but Ted Smith too…"

* * *

"Brooke, baby, I think it's time for you to take a break…" Lucas told Brooke later that day, replicating his brother's plea, as they were standing face to face while Brooke was sewing buttons to a shirt she designed, which Lucas was currently modeling. He had bitten his tongue for several hours, as he didn't want to appear unsupportive of Brooke, but now, when he was looking at his girl after hours of work and could undeniably see traces of concealed exhaustion on her features, he couldn't hold back anymore.

"I'm sorry, Luke…" Brooke raised her attentive focus from Lucas shirt and looked up at his face with apologetic eyes, "I didn't mean to overwork you- I just felt really motivated today…" she explained and then added, "You can go if you want to and I'll just work on some sketches… Thanks for everything, Luke…" she said, patting Lucas' chest affectionately and smiling at him widely, yet still remaining unable to hide her own increasing exhaustion from him.

"Actually, pretty girl" Lucas addressed the small brunette before him, smiling down at her as he carefully grabbed onto her hips and pulled her closer to him, until their forms were gently pressed against one another, "What I meant was that you should get some rest…" he clarified, tightening his grip on Brooke's hips as he saw her starting to protest.

"Luke- I really am O.K." she tried to convince him, but Lucas frowned and shook his head.

"Baby- you've been working hard all day long. You still have some time before your presentation, so you don't need to exhaust yourself like this…" he tired to reason with Brooke, yet upon seeing her stubborn frown, he softly added, "Look- I'm saying this because I want you to be at your best on your big day and not on the verge of collapsing… You need to save your energy and take it easy, pretty girl, so when you see all those executives- you'll be able to give them the best presentation you can" he said, rubbing Brooke's sides as he spoke, trying to make her see that all he was trying to do was care for her.

"Hey…" as Brooke failed to respond- Lucas moved one of his hands from her hip over to rub the small of her back, and the other to cup her cheek- to stroke over it with his thumb, "How about I take you out for dinner and we call it a night?" Lucas suggested, patiently waiting until Brooke finally nodded with agreement, finally caving in to her exhaustion.

"Yeah, O.K…." she replied at last, lifting her tired eyes up to the thoughtful man holding her and smiling up at him gratefully, "Thank you, boyfriend" she said, causing Lucas' eyes to sparkle at the meaningful nickname that Brooke now uttered for the second time since they had gotten together.

"You're welcome, baby" he replied, bending his head so he could capture Brooke's lips in his in an affectionate kiss, afterwards drawing his head back and simply staring at Brooke with admiration as he held onto her body with care.

"What?" Brooke's dimples soon created dents in her cheeks as she smiled at Lucas in response to his adoring gaze. Stroking her back tenderly, Lucas slightly chuckled before half teasingly, yet half sincerely, responding.

"So, a pretty girl like you is really willing to take me as her boyfriend?" he asked, pointing out to Brooke the significant nickname she didn't even realize that she had used and causing her to blush before she softly nodded her head and replied.

"Yes, Lucas Scott- you're officially my boyfriend" Brooke told Lucas in that raspy voice of hers, causing him to unconsciously tighten his grasp on her and pull her closer to him. "So I guess you're stuck with me…" she playfully shrugged and seductively bit onto her lower lip, causing Lucas to chuckle and shake his head adoringly.

"I like the sound of that…" he countered her playful threat with a kinked eyebrow, causing Brooke's smile to widen for a moment, after which her mouth was once again covered by Lucas' lips as he pulled her to him for yet another kiss. At that moment, as he relished in the feeling of Brooke's soft body melting under his touch- everything seemed to fall into place, and all Lucas could think about was- God, how he loved his life…

* * *

Brooke rested her head against Lucas' shoulder as they walked back to her house together with Rachel and Owen after they had all eaten dinner at Brooke's favorite restaurant. They had all had a truly great evening with one another- a much deserved one after all the hard work they had all been doing, but now that her house was back in sight- Brooke suddenly felt a strong wave of exhaustion hit her all at once.

"Are you tired, pretty girl?"Lucas softly asked his girl as he wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her on top of her head, receiving a small nod from her.

"I was going to sneak in a little more work tonight, but I guess I'd better just go to bed…" Brooke told Lucas, snuggling into him as they paused by her house's locked door and waited for Rachel to unlock it.

"You'd better…" Lucas replied, teasingly and lightly slapping Brooke from behind as they walked into the house, causing her to squeal and shoot Lucas a playful look before she quickly disappeared as she went up her house's stairs. Shaking his head and looking after Brooke, Lucas chuckled- enjoying how he was finally able to act freely and jokingly around her- just as he used to when they were younger. When his admiring gaze lingered on the stairs even after Brooke was already on the upper story of the building- Owen joined him in a light laughter.

"You really fell for her bad, didn't you?" Owen asked Lucas, already knowing the answer to his question, judging by the look on Lucas' face.

"You have no idea…" Lucas responded honestly, causing both Owen and Rachel to laugh understandingly before they bid him goodnight and disappeared into Rachel's room together.

As silence fell upon the house, Lucas couldn't help but think back with a smile at the wonderful day he had shared with Brooke. Not only was she showing amazing progress in her healing process, but she had also considerably warmed up to him and let him back in- something for which he couldn't help but be grateful and proud of her. His grin widened even more as he recalled the natural, sweet way in which Brooke referred to him as her boyfriend- an act which certainly made Lucas feel like a lucky man.

After several minutes, which Lucas believed were enough for Brooke to be able to change into her sleepwear, he turned the lights off downstairs and locked the door, afterwards going up to the second floor, to lie down with Brooke so she could fall asleep. He softly tapped on the door, not wanting to barge into the room while Brooke was still getting dressed, yet upon receiving no response he opened the door and walked into Brooke's room, where he found her sitting on the windowsill and pensively looking out into the dark night through it.

"What's on your mind, pretty girl?" Lucas softly asked as he made his way to the windowsill and took a seat on it, facing Brooke and averting her attention to him.

"Nothing…" she quietly replied with a distant smile, leaning into his touch as he cupped her cheek and stroked over it.

"Are you feeling alright?" he gently asked, slight concern evident in his voice.

"Yeah, I'm just tired" Brooke said and then honestly added, "and kind of broody…" causing Lucas to chuckle and feel all traces of concern leave him. It was safe to say that Brooke was indeed alright.

"Broody, huh?" he playfully asked, raising an eyebrow at Brooke and causing her to give him a tired, yet wide, smile.

"Yeah… You're not the only one who's entitled to be broody, mister…" she told him teasingly, afterwards unable to help but let out a yawn.

"Alright, babe" Lucas chuckled "how about we go to bed now?" he caringly suggested in response to Brooke's evident sign of exhaustion, taking Brooke's hand and leading her to bed once she tiredly smiled and nodded at him.

"Come here, baby girl" Lucas murmured, pulling Brooke's body against his as they lay down side by side. He began tracing soothing patterns on her back, causing her to sigh contently.

"You like that?" Lucas chuckled in response to her sound of delight and continued his actions upon feeling Brooke nod against his chest. He was simply making her feel like she was in heaven- chasing away any thought from her mind and enabling her to focus solely on the relaxing feeling that spread throughout her body in response to his calming actions.

The room then filled with comfortable silence and Lucas almost thought that Brooke had fallen asleep until she spoke, breaking both the quietness and the carefree atmosphere that had spread throughout the room all at once with one single sentence that carried more weight than one-thousand other words could.

"I love you, Luke…" Brooke tiredly blurted, her voice soft and sleepy, yet the honesty in her tone undeniably believable and genuine. As Brooke's body suddenly tensed in response to the huge revelation that had slipped her lips by mistake, what Brooke had said and the fact that she had really said it suddenly registered to Lucas, making him freeze and causing his heart to skip a beat. He lowered his gaze down to Brooke with surprise and was immediately caught up in her emotion-filled hazel orbs, which now seemed to be filled with a mixture of love, fear, insecurity and desire. Seeing the rising vulnerability in Brooke's big, widened eyes- Lucas simply couldn't help but give the beautiful girl in his arms a shocked smile and reply to her declaration of affection in the only way he possibly could.

"I love you too, Brooke" he said, his eyes still slightly filled with surprise, but undoubtedly expressing his genuinely deep feelings towards the girl before him. Even though he couldn't deny that he loved Brooke, Lucas didn't expect the two of them to take such a big step in their relationship so soon, yet upon hearing the pretty girl in his arms telling him that she loved him- Lucas wanted nothing else but to tell her that he felt the same. Upon looking into her beautiful hazel eyes and spotting the lack of self confidence that appeared in them now that she had laid her soul out in the open for him to see, Lucas couldn't help but want to declare his feelings for her over and over again. Seeing Brooke open up like she had just done simply never failed to strike him.

"I love you, pretty girl…" Lucas repeated, still staring intently into Brooke's expressive gaze, his eyes showing her just how deep his feelings for her indeed were. He then slowly closed the gap between them and pressed his lips against Brooke's soft ones, wanting his actions to speak instead of his words. He was so proud of her that she had managed to remove the barriers away from her heart, even if only for a second and only by mistake, that he couldn't help but physically express himself. Upon feeling how Brooke's body was beginning to tremble, however, Lucas abruptly pulled away from her and felt his heart drop as he saw tears trickling down her beautiful face.

"Hey… What's the matter, baby? Why are you crying?" he softly asked, his face contorting with concern as he carefully wiped away the clear drops off of her porcelain cheeks. "Come on, pretty girl- talk to me…" he gently urged her after she shook her head and bit onto her lower lip, trying to brush the matter off and get a grip over herself. Lucas patiently waited as Brooke struggled to respond, caringly stroking her hair until she replied.

"I really need us to take it slow this time" she began, causing Lucas to feel slightly discouraged, even though he tried to feign understanding, until she continued- surprising him with her words, "but I have such strong feelings towards you and there's nothing I can do to help them… I can't help but love you already and that just scares me…" Brooke confessed, her voice cracking at the end of her sentence as laying her true feelings out in the open once again made her feel completely vulnerable and exposed in front of Lucas. As a new batch of tears started building up inside of her, causing Brooke to grow frustrated with how weak she felt, she sensed Lucas cupping her cheek and softly murmuring to her.

"Hey… I know that things have been pretty intense for us, but you don't have to be afraid, baby… I know that you've been protective of your heart for a really long time because of me, but I promise you that I will guard it with my life now that you have let me in" he vowed, brushing away yet another wet trail that silently made its way down Brooke's cheek.

"Things have just been moving forward so fast and I feel like I lost the control that I've had over my heart" she explained, sounding so flustered and insecure that Lucas just wanted to hug her and hush her worried ramble with comforting and loving words, yet he realized the importance of letting Brooke open up and speak about her emotions, so he allowed her to continue pouring her feelings out.

"I'm really scared of how I feel, Luke…" Brooke tearfully admitted, causing Lucas to soothingly caress her cheek, encouraging her to let everything she felt out, "Because it's so strong, but it's so soon… so if this doesn't work out, if something goes wrong between us- I don't know how I'll be able to handle it…" she said, bravely succeeding in putting her insecurities into words, causing Lucas to immediately respond as he was no longer capable of holding back.

"Brooke, nothing in the world, _nothing_ could make me hurt you again, do you hear me?" he softly said to her, caringly brushing her tears away as she slowly nodded at him, as if building up the confidence to trust him completely as they spoke. "I meant what I said, Brooke- I _love_ you, and I know that we're going a little fast, but I can't help it either… I just want to be with you and I can't help but feel like I want us to be serious about one another already, even if it might seem a bit soon…" he said, encouragingly smiling at her and trying to reassure her by letting her know that he felt just the same as she did.

"It's just that… Only a few weeks ago you flew to Vegas with Peyton…" Brooke voiced out her biggest concern, the one that had always been there when it came to Lucas, and looked up at him with uncertain eyes, causing him to frown.

"Brooke, listen to me; yes- Peyton and I tried to get back together then, but it didn't work out because it felt wrong and because deep down- I knew all along that she wasn't the one that I truly wanted. If you don't believe me you should ask Peyton herself- I couldn't stop thinking about you the entire time…" he revealed, causing Brooke's eyes to slightly widen with surprise.

"Really?" Brooke apprehensively looked at Lucas as he nodded his head with confidence, signaling to Brooke that she had nothing to worry about. "So- you promise there's nothing going on between you and Peyton anymore? You promise you won't want her back if she comes back to Tree Hill?" Brooke felt the need to make sure, causing Lucas to cup her cheeks so she would look him straight in the eye as he replied.

"The only one I want is you, baby… It's no one else but you" he said, sounding so genuinely sincere and honest that Brooke had no doubt in her heart that she could believe him- that this time things would be different and that she had been fortunate for the slipup that enabled her to open her heart to the amazing man by her side.

"Good- because you're all mine, mister…" Brooke finally allowed herself to relax and replied with a small smile. Brushing the last of her tears away, she allowed Lucas to pull her in for a soft, intimate kiss, which expressed the pure love they both felt for one another and finally came to confess. As their kiss intensified- Brooke felt like she owed it to Lucas to show him that she finally wholly trusted him considering how patient he had been with her insecurities and fears. Her hands therefore moved down to his shirt and tugged it out of his pants as they continued kissing, yet before she could unbutton even one of his buttons- Lucas' big, gentle hands wrapped around her wrists and stilled her actions.

"What are you doing, pretty girl?" he softly asked her as his thumbs brushed back and forth against her knuckles.

"Has it been so long that I really need to explain?" Brooke playfully replied and kinked an eyebrow after being taken aback for a moment by the way Lucas seemingly rejected her attempt to take their intimacy to the next level. She tried to reach for his buttons, once again, yet when Lucas gently stopped her this time, she began to feel hurt by his refusal to her.

"Don't you want to?" Brooke raised eyes full of confusion and hurt up to Lucas and immediately caused his apprehensive gaze to soften up.

"Baby- trust me on this one- I really, really want to be with you, alright?" he said, and the unmistakable desire in his voice caused Brooke to relax slightly and smile confusedly, as she now couldn't understand why he had stopped her actions if he obviously wanted the same thing she was trying to do. "I just think that we've advanced more than enough for one day, O.K.? I really don't want you to wake up tomorrow and regret doing anything" he explained, causing Brooke to nod with understanding as she realized that maybe he was right…

"So… Where do we go from here? What do we do now?" she asked slightly awkwardly, not really knowing how to act from here. It seemed much simpler to her to sleep with someone and not tell him that she loved him than to share the same bed with something and bare her soul in front of him- yet refrain from physically expressing an intimacy that had been established in a much higher level between them.

Lucas, however, simply smiled and said, "Now I just hold you in my arms and rub your back until you fall asleep…" a simple proposal to which Brooke was happy to oblige. She nestled into his arms and felt his big, warm hands stroking her back- just as he had promised he would, and just before she fell asleep- made her last conscious decision of the day to once again tell him "I love you, Lucas Scott…" but this time- in a much more confident, relaxed manner.

"I love you too, baby girl" Lucas pecked her temple with a smile, lovingly watching her as she drifted off into a deep, peaceful sleep.

That night, Lucas fell asleep with a wide smile, wholeheartedly believing that now- nothing could go wrong, that now life was perfect. He was too caught up in his bliss to remember that such utter happiness was usually too good to be true and that just when you thought life was perfect- something would almost always blow up right in your face…

* * *

**AN: I know, I know... This chapter should have been left off with a happy note, but I couldn't help myself... I really hope you liked it and promise you that as the ending clearly implied- there will be drama next time! Please tell me what you thought about this chapter! ;-)**


	31. Chapter 31

**Hi guys! I know that this time I really took way too long to update, but I had a lot going on in my life and some personal issues I needed to deal with. Anyway, things are better now, and although I'm still extremely busy, I felt like I definitely owed you an update by now... I hope you will enjoy this and please do review and tell me what you thought! :-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 31**

Something was wrong. Before he even woke up- Lucas had a strange dream that made him realize that something was wrong. As he breathlessly woke up and tried to recall what had made him so uneasy in his sleep- Lucas couldn't remember the details of his dream, but could undeniably feel a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach, which also followed him in his dream, and which told him that something about the day he was about to have was going to be awfully troubling.

As he glanced down and saw Brooke peacefully sleeping, her angelic features at ease and her soft body snuggled into his form, Lucas couldn't help but smile and relax a bit. Upon facing her breathtaking beauty- Lucas started to believe that the troubling feeling that had plagued him was simply due to his dream and didn't imply anything else. He still wished that he could remember what he had dreamt about, yet the amazing sight of Brooke Davis in her sleep was successfully distracting him from his unpleasant thoughts.

When his alarm clock suddenly went off, signaling that it was time for him to wake up for his 6:30 a.m. practice with his team- Lucas was immediately thrown out of his daze. He quickly scrambled for his clock, hoping to be able to reach it before it would wake Brooke up, but while he grabbed the device in his hand- he could feel Brooke moving at his side, unfortunately having been disturbed by the alarm.

"What time is it, Broody?" she sleepily mumbled, her eyes only slightly open and her consciousness still hazy.

"It's still early, baby- go back to sleep…" Lucas gently told her as he finally managed to silence the alarm, kissing her forehead and slipping his hand underneath the blankets in order to rub her back and try to lull her back to sleep.

"Are you leaving me?" Brooke softly questioned, her quiet, tired voice making her sound so small and vulnerable that Lucas immediately frowned.

"Never, pretty girl" Lucas sincerely answered, afterwards adding, "I'm just going out for a quick morning practice with the team. I'll be back before you know it…" he promised lovingly, pecking Brooke's forehead again and then adoringly gazing at her as she seemed to fall back into sleep.

"Just come back, O.K.?" Brooke surprised Lucas with her unexpected, sleepy mumble, which once again made her appear to him as truly fragile and childlike. He looked at her with a mixture of confusion and concern, watching her as she started drifting back into sleep, and although he didn't want to disturb her sleep again- in the end he just couldn't help but question her.

"Why would you say that, Brooke?" he asked, his striking blue eyes full of wonder.

"I had a dream…" she sighed in her sleep, unconsciously turning over and settling with her back to him.

Realizing that it would be pointless to wake Brooke up only to question her about a dream- especially when he knew how much she needed her rest- Lucas decided to silence the questions that were standing on the tip of his tongue. He continued rubbing Brooke's back for several more minutes, until her breathing grew deeper and indicated that she was in a deep sleep again, yet he himself couldn't get his mind to rest. Maybe it was merely a coincidence, but the fact both he and Brooke had disturbing dreams at the same night refilled him with an uneasy feeling. He didn't know whether it was simply a natural human instinct trying to remind them to appreciate the happy times they were experiencing as something always could go wrong, or a god-given warning about an actual troubling event that was about to interfere in their happiness, but whatever it was- it had Lucas truly worried.

Knowing that he needed to get ready for his practice, yet feeling anxious about leaving Brooke alone with this mysterious, uneasy feeling that consumed them- Lucas let out a deep sigh before giving Brooke one last kiss and softly whispering- "I'll be back before you even wake up…" trying to reassure both his sleeping girlfriend and himself. He quickly prepared himself and left the house, the bad feeling in the pit of his stomach not leaving him and telling him that something was about to put a serious dent in his newly formed happiness…

* * *

"Brooke? Pretty girl- I brought you some blueberry muffins!" Lucas announced after he returned to Brooke's house, once he was at the doorstep of her bedroom. "Brooke?" upon receiving no response- Lucas smiled to himself, thinking that his tired girlfriend must still be sleeping soundly. He carefully opened her bedroom door, his smile vanishing as soon as he found Brooke's bed tidily made up, instead of nestling Brooke's sleeping form.

"Babe, are you home?" Lucas loudly called out, wanting Brooke to hear him, even if she was in a different room in the house. Upon being met with silence once again- Lucas finally came to the conclusion that he was alone in the house. All alone…

A chill ran up Lucas' spine as the troubling feeling from his dream refilled him. He still couldn't remember what he had dreamt about, yet the lonely feeling that was currently consuming him, along with the memory of Brooke's sleepy pleas that he wouldn't leave her alone caused his heart to start pounding in alarm. Something was definitely wrong…

Grabbing his car-keys in one hand and the bag of muffins in the other, Lucas practically ran out of the house, hastily locking it before stepping into the car and quickly starting to drive over to Brooke's store. He tried to convince himself that Brooke had simply woken up and wanted to get back to work, but he knew that if he wouldn't find her in her shop- he would have a good reason to worry. Lucas knew that it had been work that he had left Brooke for, but at the moment- he mentally kicked himself for not staying with her that morning, for he knew he wouldn't be able to forgive himself if something had actually gone wrong…

As Brooke's store came to view and Lucas noticed that different fabrics were thrown across the floor and that Brooke was nowhere in sight- his heart almost stopped beating. As he quickly parked and spotted Brooke's car a few spots ahead- he could feel the blood draining from his face. This couldn't be happening, not again, not when they were finally so happy together…

Racing from his car up to the shop, he simply prayed that whoever it was that had caused the disarray in the store had done so before Brooke reached it, for if she had gotten hurt again- Lucas realized that not only would she probably be too broken to be able to recover from yet another attack, but that he certainly would be too devastated and consumed with guilt to be able to effectively help Brooke back to her feet.

As Lucas opened the store's door with a thud and stepped inside in panicked strides, his heart began pounding in his chest as the disarray that the store was in further unraveled before his eyes. His heart started racing even more as he suddenly heard Brooke letting out a scream upon his entrance, making him realize that whoever had created the mess he was seeing might still be in the store with Brooke.

Tossing the bag of muffins onto the store's counter and grabbing an umbrella that was placed beside it, Lucas ran towards the back of the store, where Brooke's voice originated from, bracing himself for the possible need to fight Brooke's attacker off.

"Brooke!" Lucas called out as he approached the room in back of the store, tensing up as he heard something metallic dropping onto the floor, but finally becoming able to breathe again when a metal rod rolled towards his feet and Brooke suddenly stepped out of the darkness of the back room in apprehensive steps.

"Lucas?" she shakily said, staring at him with an overwhelmed and confused expression as he rushed towards her and hugged her briefly, afterwards grabbing her face with his free hand.

Looking at her momentarily, Lucas was relieved to find no visible bruising on the exposed parts of her body. When he noticed how her body was trembling and saw the tears pooling in her eyes, he quickly glanced past her, realizing that he would need to handle Brooke's attacker first, if he was still there, and would only then be able to check Brooke appropriately.

"Where is he, Brooke?" Lucas tensely questioned Brooke, turning his gaze back to her and staring at her intently as he waited for her response.

"What?" Brooke confusedly questioned, the slight fear invading her gaze causing Lucas' eyes to soften slightly, yet he was still unable to lose his tense tone.

"Are you in here alone now?" Lucas questioned instead, realizing that Brooke might be more shaken up than he thought she was if she had indeed been somehow attacked again, and understanding that if the attacker was no longer there- he probably needed to check her out better. When Brooke slowly nodded, staring at him with a frightened, wondering expression, Lucas tossed the umbrella aside and grabbed onto Brooke's form with relief.

"Did he hurt you, baby?" he anxiously asked, urgency and fear evident in his voice.

"Wh…" when Brooke simply stared at him, looking truly overwhelmed, Lucas realized that she must be in shock due to what had happened in the store. Understanding that he needed to take the matter into his hands and take control in order to learn whether Brooke was alright or not, Lucas quickly surveyed Brooke's form with his eyes once again- checking her for any trace of bruising more intently than before. Upon being satisfied to come up without any disturbing findings on her exposed skin, Lucas took in his girlfriend's shaking form and realized that he needed to take a look at the covered sections of her skin before he could conclude that she was indeed physically alright. He hastily grabbed onto the hem of her blouse, starting to tug it up when Brooke's hands instinctively held it down, preventing Lucas from being able to see her skin.

"Lucas…" she shakily mumbled, her eyes widening fearfully when Lucas refused to stop his attempts to peel her shirt off of her, despite the fight she was putting up against him. "Lucas, what are you doing?" she desperately asked, the rising fear evident in her voice as Lucas managed to pull her shirt up slightly.

"It's O.K., Brooke" he replied simply and hastily, forcing himself to refrain from giving in to Brooke's resistance, as the importance of checking her and making sure that she was alright stood out for him.

"Lucas…" as Brooke's resistance increased, Lucas only grew more frantic and persistent with his actions, feeling as though Brooke was trying to hide herself from him. As he applied slightly more force against Brooke- his concern getting the better of him and turning into a frenzy, Brooke felt herself starting to panic. Standing there in her store with a man that was using his strength upon her against her will threw Brooke back to that awful night all these weeks ago when her attacker had done exactly that to her, just much more brutally. As she relived those traumatizing moments as Lucas' actions grew more frantic, and resisting him started taking a toll on her, Brooke felt herself beginning to tremble and could sense a lump forming in her throat. Once again, she felt frightened and helpless in her own store, yet this time it was actually her own boyfriend's actions that instilled fear into her heart.

"Lucas…" as the tears welling up in her eyes began rolling down her cheeks, Brooke couldn't help but call out desperately. "Lucas, stop!" she pleaded, letting out a fearful sob that finally caused Lucas to halt his actions. He lifted his intense gaze from Brooke's shirt and up to her face, his expression instantly softening when he noticed the tears trailing down her cheeks.

"Baby…" he tried to soothe her with his words, yet when he tried to tighten his hold on her comfortingly, Brooke noticeably flinched.

"Please, Luke…" she said in a small voice as tears still streamed freely sown her cheeks, quite evidently still shaken up from his frantic actions.

Upon realizing that Brooke wasn't simply scared, but actually scared of him due to his actions, Lucas finally let go of her shirt and ever so gently cupped her cheek with his palm. "Hey…" he softly murmured, "I'm not gonna hurt you, pretty girl, alright?" he said, understanding that his actions must have triggered unpleasant memories for Brooke, and that she still must be in shock due to whatever it was that had occurred prior to his arrival. He softly brushed his thumb across her cheek and waited until Brooke slowly nodded her head.

"O.K." she quietly said, her head bowed down and tears still trickling out of her eyes.

"Can you let me look at you, baby girl?" Lucas gently questioned Brooke, gesturing towards her shirt and causing her to squirm uncomfortably before him.

"Luke…"

"Please" he cut her off with his simple plea, the genuine emotion behind it causing Brooke to lift her watery eyes and look into her boyfriend's ocean-colored orbs. When she saw nothing but love, care and concern in his eyes, she sniffled and nodded slowly once again.

"O.K." she whispered, averting her eyes away from him as he carefully lifted her blouse, making sure to be extra gently this time. While Lucas continued and took off Brooke's tank-top, his actions- as gentle as they were- caused Brooke to be overcome by her emotions. She didn't understand why Lucas was insisting on undressing her and making her show herself to him. Even though she had reluctantly agreed to what he was doing- standing in the back of her store with her top off caused Brooke to feel so exposed and vulnerable that she simply couldn't stop her tears.

When Brooke's pale flesh was finally revealed, Lucas studied her body carefully. He heaved a sigh of relief when he observed that the only thing marring Brooke's porcelain skin was the almost invisible evidence of her attack from several weeks before, and quickly grabbed her into a hug- this time taking the time to hold her and allowing his relief to take over him. Upon noticing that his girlfriend was trembling, however, Lucas pulled away from her and immediately grabbed her clothes- concluding that she must be cold. As he helped her to get dressed however, Lucas suddenly noticed how badly she was crying now, and frowned as he realized that she was not only trembling because she was cold.

"Hey…" he softly said, reaching out to brush her tears off, yet feeling his heart sink when Brooke flinched away from his touch, "Brooke, wh-" he tried to speak, yet she suddenly cut him off.

"Why did you do it?" she asked in a hurt, raspy voice, defensively crossing her arms over her chest and stepping away from him.

"What are you talking about, pretty girl?" he patiently, yet confusedly, asked, his frown deepening as Brooke buried her eyes deep into the ground.

"Why did you make me take my shirt off like that?" she quietly questioned, refusing to meet his gaze and only now causing Lucas to comprehend how humiliated he must have made her feel by trying to forcefully undress her.

"I didn't mean to embarrass you, baby. I just wanted to see that you were O.K. with my own eyes" he explained apologetically, his eyes trying to catch her gaze, as he sought her understanding, yet when she finally lifted them up and spoke, what she had to say completely bewildered him.

"Why?"

"What do you mean 'why', Brooke?" he replied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "Because I love you, that's why" he said, yet Brooke still remained silent and still looked confused. "Come here for a sec" he beckoned her, gently leading her to the front of the store and pausing when the scattered fabrics lay before them. "You've seen that the store has been broken into, right baby?" Lucas softly asked her, rubbing up and down her arms as he suddenly realized that Brooke might have entered the store from the back and therefore could have missed seeing what had happened.

Much to his concern, Brooke started trembling, yet as he averted his gaze from the floor to her face and looked at her, Lucas realized that he couldn't decipher whether she was laughing or crying.

"The store wasn't broken into, Luke" Brooke finally spoke and informed Lucas, causing a stunned expression to fill his face, "Rachel and I looking for some fabrics" she explained, half laughing and half crying, and Lucas didn't know whether to feel unbelievably grateful that nothing had actually happened to his girlfriend, or truly guilty for scaring her as he had done over nothing.

"You scared me, Luke" Brooke finally broke the silence that spread throughout the room as her shock from Lucas' behavior overpowered her amusement from the entire situation. When tears started flooding her eyes again, Lucas' guilt also won over his relief and made him feel terrible for acting like such a madman over a simple misunderstanding, when this whole mess could have been prevented if he had simply asked Brooke about the disarray in her store.

"I'm sorry…" Lucas genuinely apologized, looking at Brooke with honest, regretful eyes and feeling terrible with himself that his great care for her ended up making her cry.

"Don't scare me like that again" Brooke asked him, "Not when I'm in my store… Not when I'm alone… Not where-" her breath hitched as the intensity of the events that had occurred got to her, causing her emotions to erupt as sobs. She was both overwhelmed by what had happened now and how much it threw her back to the attack that had actually occurred in her store, and also relieved that Lucas' slightly aggressive actions only resulted out of his deep care for her, and therefore the only possible way for her to express her jumbled-up emotions was to simply let go and cry.

"Baby…" heartbroken, Lucas immediately gathered Brooke into his arms and pressed her tightly into his chest, "I'm so sorry" he once again said, kissing her on top of her head as she buried her face into his chest and continued to cry, "I didn't mean to frighten you, pretty girl, I just… God, I'm so sorry…" he mumbled into her hair and closed his eyes in regret as he suddenly realized how he must have made her feel- barging into her store, acting as though he was crazy and then seemingly with no reason, demanding that she would undress.

"I should have asked you what was going on" Lucas regretfully said, stroking Brooke's hair with one hand and holding onto her with the other as she continued to cry, "God, I'm such an idiot!" he frustratedly exclaimed, hating to see his baby crying and hurting because of his impulsive actions.

"You're not an idiot, boyfriend" Brooke mumbled into his chest, sniffling as she tried to get a grip over herself and causing Lucas to smile slightly upon hearing her nickname for him, "Just don't scare me like that again, O.K.?" she asked, pulling herself slightly away from him and biting onto her lower lip as she struggled against her tears.

"You got it, babe" Lucas softly gave her his word, giving her an affectionate smile as he brushed her tears away and said, "You know that the only reason I acted like such a madman is because I love you, right?" he wanted to verify, smiling when Brooke nodded and croaked an "I love you too".

"And besides" he added, his tone much lighter as he made an attempt to put a smile on Brooke's face, "you've got to admit that it does kind of look like someone broke in here with the mess that you made" he said with a smile, raising a playful eyebrow at Brooke and causing her to gasp.

"Shut up!" she said, yet the soft giggle that escaped her lips was all Lucas needed to hear in order for a smile to grace his face. His smile soon turned into an entertained chuckle when Brooke, although still wiping her tears, managed to retort, "Just admit that this was all a trick to get me half naked…" she joked, giggling at his amused expression.

"That actually sounds like a good idea to me…" Lucas shrugged and started making his way in her direction, causing her to squeal and bolt, only to be quickly captured in his large, strong arms, which caged her against him as he began to tickle her.

"S-Stop acting… like such… a c-caveman… Luke…" Brooke managed to say in between laughs, only causing Lucas to tickle her harder.

"A caveman, huh?" he challenged her playfully, moving his wiggling fingers across his stomach, until he reached a particularly sensitive spot which had her squirming against him.

"S-Stop" she asked, laughing so hard that tears filled her eyes again. Lucas was just about to put an end to their playful banter, as he detected a hint of discomfort in Brooke's voice. However, before he could even process that thought, Rachel suddenly appeared at the store's doorstep, carrying bags full of fabrics, and within seconds dropped the bags, reached them and forcefully pried Brooke away from Lucas' arms, glaring at him angrily.

"What the hell, Lucas?!" she exclaimed in rage, causing Brooke and Lucas to exchange puzzled looks.

"Uh, Rache?" Lucas confusedly questioned, looking at the redhead for an explanation for her inexplicable behavior.

"Can't you see you're hurting her, you big ape?" Rachel scolded Lucas, her voice rising as her anger overpowered her, yet Brooke and Lucas couldn't help but smile, realizing that yet another misunderstanding had just led to an unnecessary outburst of emotions.

"Rachel…" Lucas tried to rationally explain the whole thing to Rachel, yet seeing her friend's teary face set the redhead off and put her on a roll.

"Don't _'Rachel'_ me, you jerk!" she yelled, "You promised never to hurt Brooke again and just when I thought you could be trusted- you go and make her cry again!"

"Rae" now it was Brooke's raspy voice that tried to stop Rachel's speech, as she wiped her face clear of any trace of tears, yet it was no use.

"She is freaking in tears, Lucas! Again!" Rachel pointed out, getting more worked-up from moment to moment, "When I left her here a half an hour ago she was perfectly fine and now look at her!" she exclaimed, starting to approach Lucas aggressively, "You are seriously asking for me to kick your ass!"

"Rachel!" this time both Brooke and Lucas called out together, and Brooke stepped out in front of Lucas to hold onto Rachel's shoulders, halting her forceful strides.

"We just had a misunderstanding, but I'm fine now, Rache" Brooke tried to explain, her tone sincere and soft, as she didn't want her friend to hurt her boyfriend, yet couldn't help but appreciate how protective Rachel was of her. Rachel, however, was still seeing red as she took in the evidence of Brooke's earlier breakdown.

"Of course you are… I forgot that it's completely 'fine' for a guy to practically fondle you until you're in tears" Rachel retorted, still completely misinterpreting the entire scenario.

"Come on. Rache, you know Lucas better than that…" Brooke defended her man, looking at Rachel with soft, sincere eyes, "We were just fooling around…" she explained, gently smiling at Rachel as she tried to make her see that she took in the entire situation the wrong way.

Crossing her arms over her chest and averting her gaze between Brooke and Lucas, as she attempted to judge the situation before her, Rachel seriously questioned, "Yeah? Well then- why were you crying, Brooke?"

"Lucas saw the mess we made and thought that someone broke in. Let's just say he gave me a little scare…" Brooke replied, giving Lucas a soft smile and then looking back at her friend with honest eyes. It took Rachel several moments to take in what she had been told, but once she realized the comedy of errors which she had just taken part in, a smile graced her face.

"It's nice to know that you've got my back, though…" Brooke joked and winked at her best friend, causing the redhead to smirk.

"Anytime, babe" she replied, flashing Brooke a wide smile, "I enjoy taking Lucas down…" she teased, laughing and sending Brooke into a fit of giggles.

"Hey!" Lucas protested jokingly, only causing the girls to laugh harder, "I came here worrying about you and this is what I get, pretty girl?" he continued to tease, now causing Brooke to turn to him and give him an affectionate peck on the lips.

"I'm sorry, baby" she apologized, somewhat sincerely, giving him yet another soft kiss, "I know you were only looking out for me…" she said, causing Lucas to wrap his arms around her and to begin rubbing her back affectionately.

"I always am…" he murmured, stealing two more pecks with his girlfriend before Rachel cleared her throat, reminding them of her presence and breaking apart their embrace. As he gazed back at the redhead, Lucas expected her to smirk and tease them for the intimate moment they just shared, yet he was surprised to find her looking at him sheepishly.

"I uh… I'm sorry, Luke. I was wrong to attack and accuse you like that…" she apologized, looking at him with embarrassment.

"I thought we were past the time when you didn't trust me…" Lucas replied, knowing that he could have brushed the matter off, but wanting to deal with it once and for all.

"I know…" Rachel answered quietly. She thought so too, but she just couldn't help but be extra-protective of her best friend after everything she had been through.

"I'm not gonna hurt Brooke, Rachel. I love her…" he stressed, causing Rachel to nod with acceptance, realizing that she needed to stop accusing Lucas, as he and Brooke truly did love each other. "I only came here today to check on her and to see whether she ate breakfast already" he once again explained to the redhead, his arms instinctively wrapping around Brooke's waist in a protective manner, finally convincing Rachel that she had no reason in the world to worry about Lucas ever hurting Brooke.

"I do trust you, Lucas" Rachel said, causing Lucas to nod and to put the entire ordeal behind, "And by the way- I hope that you brought some food, because we're starving…" Rachel told him teasingly, feeling the need to lighten the mood.

"She didn't eat?" Lucas questioned Rachel with slight concern, idly rubbing his thumbs across Brooke's flat stomach.

"Not a bite" Rachel replied honestly, causing Lucas to frown, "All she did since the morning was work…" she added, causing Brooke to huff with annoyance.

"Guys, I'm right here, you know!" she reminded them, displeased with the way they spoke about her, as though she wasn't present, "And I can take care of myself. I'm not a child!" she added with a frown, drawing away from Lucas' arms in protest to the over-protective manner in which he had been treating her.

"I know you can, pretty girl" Lucas assured her, yet her scowl remained, "Come on, don't be upset" he asked her, "I have blueberry muffins…" Lucas made his peace offering, finally appeasing Brooke and convincing her to come back to him, to get her share of the sweet pastries he had bought.

As all three of them sat on the store's sofa and enjoyed their breakfast treat, Lucas couldn't help but feel happy and relieved. Even with all the clothes scattered around them, the umbrella which served him as an improvised weapon adding to the mess and Brooke's rosy cheeks still bearing traces of her tears, Lucas finally felt like everything was alright again, because Brooke was with him, because Brooke was alright, because he wasn't going to let anyone hurt her again. Or so he thought…

* * *

It had been a long day. Brooke worked nonstop throughout the entire day- advancing in preparing her presentation to her board, which was quickly approaching, and Lucas refused to leave her side after the scare they had experienced that morning. Therefore, by nighttime they were both completely exhausted. Lucas had truly worn himself out by attempting to keep up with Brooke, and trying to convince her to slow down and refrain from wearing herself out. Only after she had grown so exhausted that she experienced an acute dizzy spell, Brooke finally gave in to Lucas' demands and agreed to call it a night. She had let Lucas lead her to the living room couch, absent-mindedly gazed at the TV screen Lucas turned on for her and tiredly nibbled on the fruit he had brought for them to snack on. Keeping her sketchpad on her lap, as she intended to continue sketching some more, Brooke only managed to start drawing some vague lines before she dozed off, affected by the exhaustion she had accumulated during the day, the lulling influence of the lights that flickered from the television, and by Lucas' warm body and soothing touch.

Looking at her as she drifted into sleep, Lucas smiled tiredly as he noted to himself how peaceful and relaxed Brooke seemed to be when she was in his presence. He gently kissed her on top of her head, careful not to wake her up, and afterwards closed his eyes, allowing himself to give in to his own exhaustion. He adjusted himself so that he and Brooke were lying comfortably on the sofa, and within minutes was soothed to sleep by the feeling of Brooke's soft body breathing deeply and slowly on top of him.

When Rachel and Owen emerged from Rachel's room later than night, on the intention of asking Brooke and Lucas if they would like to eat dinner together, that's how they found them- sleeping soundly on the sofa, their bodies fitting together so perfectly- it was as though they were one. The sight of their friends' closeness to one another put a smile on Rachel and Owen's faces in an instant. It truly warmed both of their hearts to see that after the eventful few weeks that they all had, everything seemed to be falling into place at last.

Not wanting to disturb Brooke and Lucas' much needed rest, Rachel and Owen signaled to each other that they'd better go out for dinner and leave the sleeping couple to be. As Owen grabbed both of their coats, Rachel quietly tiptoed into the living room, turning the television off and covering the slumbering couple with the throw that Brooke always kept over her sofa. She gave her friends one last glance, unable to help but smile at the adorable sight of the two of them comfortably curled into each other, and then quietly made her way to the door, where Owen was patiently waiting for her with an adoring smile. Rachel returned the gesture and carefully opened the door, thinking that she and Owen were successful in their attempt to leave the house without waking Brooke and Lucas up. However, once the door was open, Rachel jumped and yelped in surprise as she unexpectedly found someone standing at the doorstep, upon having reached it just at that moment.

"Well, well, well… If it's not the runaway junkie…" the person facing Rachel cruelly greeted her, causing Owen to tense up by her side. Even though he knew this person was close to Brooke, he never did really like her, and after she had spoken to Rachel so rudely, this disliking was only increasing.

"What do you think you are doing here?" Rachel bounced back from her shock and retorted icily, determined to keep this person away from her best friend, as she had hurt Brooke enough by now.

"Well, isn't that cozy…" the woman sarcastically remarked, looking at Brooke and Lucas' sleeping forms with malice in her eyes, causing Rachel's eyes to fill with anger.

"They sure are cozy together, so why don't you back off and leave Brooke alone", as she attempted to block this woman's path into the house, Rachel heard shuffling sounds from behind her and closed her eyes, realizing that this intruder's unwelcome return had also managed to wake up her friends.

"What's going on in there?" Lucas' sleepy voice questioned, proving to Rachel that she was right. She looked back at Lucas, not knowing what to say, and simply watched him rubbing his eyes tiredly, before looking up at this person.

Once his hazy sight cleared up slightly, Lucas' eyes widened at the sight of the person before him. He rubbed his eyes once again, wanting to ensure that he was seeing correctly, and once this person remained standing before him, Lucas could feel his heart beginning to pound in his chest frantically. Suddenly, he could remember more bits and pieces of his dream; he could remember Brooke crying and running away from him, he could remember himself being left alone and he could remember this person's malicious eyes looking at him, just as they were looking at him right now, and smirking at him as he realized he was about to lose Brooke for good…

* * *

**AN: Yes, I know it's cruel, but I am leaving you with yet another cliffhanger. Don't hate me! :-) I'm wondering how many of you thought that I was actually evil enough to have Brooke attacked for a third time... I'm also wondering who you think has come to Brooke's house. Please do review and tell me! :-)**


	32. Chapter 32

**Hi guys! I really did try not to take long with this update, considering the cliffhanger I left you with last time. I must say that I have some really smart readers, who managed to guess who the mystery guest was, and I truly hope that all of you will like this chapter! ;-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 32**

An awkward silence spread throughout the room as Lucas, Rachel and Owen tensely stared at the person at the doorstep. They were all torn between the urge to demand that she would leave and the desire to refrain from waking Brooke up, as they all realized that it would be for the best if she would remain unaware that this person had even come back.

Their plan to keep Brooke in the dark was working pretty well until Rachel could no longer handle the smug expression on the intruder's face solely with a staring match, and blurted out, "Well, what the hell are you waiting for? Turn around and leave!" she demanded, glaring at the woman with blazing eyes.

"I see someone here grew a backbone!" the woman chuckled, "It's just too damn bad that I have more of a right to set foot in this house than you do…"

"Not anymore" Rachel quickly replied, her anger increasing and causing her to raise her voice, "You've hurt Brooke so much that you will only enter this house again over my dead body" Rachel sneered, looking at the unwelcomed guest with disgust, honestly intending to physically prevent her from coming into Brooke's house.

An amused smile appeared on the woman's face, and it only widened as she saw Owen stepping closer to Rachel, backing her up and saying, "You heard Rachel- it's time for you to go!"

As the woman chuckled maliciously and Rachel and Owen stared at her with furious expressions, all Lucas could do was look at the scene that was unraveling before him and feel his heart picking up its pace even more. Just like in the dream he had, he felt like he was losing control, only now this nightmare was real. He could see from the look in this woman's eyes that she had come to cause trouble for him and Brooke, and all he felt like he could do was tighten his grip on his girlfriend and pray that they were too strong for anyone to break them apart. His actions, however, only caused Brooke to stir and to start rubbing her eyes tiredly.

"What's going on, Luke?" she sleepily questioned, her eyes still shut and her state of awareness still hazy, "Baby, what's wrong? Your heart is beating like crazy…" she mumbled, her one hand reaching over to stroke over Lucas' restless heart as the other finished rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. When she finally opened her eyes, Brooke sensed the tense silence that filled the room and suddenly became aware that all eyes were on her. As she looked up at Lucas' face and noticed the worried, uncomfortable expression that he wore, she frowned with concern. Her eyes searched the room for whatever it was that had made Lucas so worried and widened once they were met with what had caught Lucas' attention.

"Peyton…" Brooke gasped, looking at her former best friend as if she was seeing a ghost. With all the events that had occurred in her life lately, Brooke had completely forgotten about the blonde's existence. Her life had been so intense that she forgot the feeling of hurt she had felt as she tried to call her Peyton when she most needed her best friend- yet was met with her voicemail- time after time, and the complete heartbreak she had experienced as she witnessed Peyton dismissing her calls with her own eyes in Vegas, in one of the lowest points of her life. Now, however, as she faced her and noted her smug expression, Brooke suddenly recalled all of it and all of her hurt bubbled up in the form as intense anger.

"I see you've decided to turn our house into an inn…" Peyton commented sarcastically, causing all those present to stare at her in amazement due to her audacity to refer to Brooke's house as her own.

"This is _my_ house" Brooke stressed, looking at Peyton with an icy expression, "Which brings me to the question- what are you doing here?" she demanded, quirking an eyebrow as she stared at the blonde, waiting for an answer.

"I'm back" Peyton replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"So?" Owen butted in, his anger towards the blonde rising due to her obnoxious behavior, to the point where he couldn't remain silent.

"So this is where I live…" Peyton gave Owen an evil smirk as she replied, afterwards turning to stare at Brooke challengingly. Truth be told, she hadn't come back with the intention to ruin Brooke's life, but seeing her former best friend with the man who only several weeks earlier had proposed to her ignited something within her and caused her bitchy side to completely take over. She knew that she had been a lousy friend for not returning Brooke's numerous calls when she could tell that the brunette must have needed her, but the sight of Brooke and Lucas before her, which made her realize that the blond writer had left her in Vegas in order to tend to Brooke's needs, replaced any regret she might have felt with an urge to seek revenge.

Peyton smirked as she saw the disbelief spread across Brooke's face. Her attention was soon averted to Rachel, however, as the redhead burst out laughing incredulously.

"And you're calling me a junkie?" Rachel questioned as she stared at Peyton with disbelief, "You must be high if you seriously think that you still live here!" she exclaimed.

"Well, I do realize that it would be more appropriate for me to live in my fiancé's house" Peyton smirked as she pronounced the second to last word, pausing to give Lucas an evil smile and then to look at Brooke straight in the eye, "but since he seems rather cozy here" she mocked, looking Brooke up and down in resentment, "and since all my stuff is here, I guess it would be fitting for me to reside here for now" she concluded her speech, her eyes still focused right on Brooke, as if she was challenging her to put up a fight in front of Lucas. Snorting and shaking her head in disbelief, Brooke refrained from saying a word to the blonde, who simply seemed to be out of her mind to her, yet Rachel, who was not one to take the high road when someone else swooped down so low before her eyes, spoke up with fury.

"Well, let me help you out then- your stuff is boxed and piled up in the garage and I will be happy to finally throw that trash out of here" Rachel said, getting more and more worked-up with every passing moment, "and as for your other problem- Tree Hill's hospital has an excellent psychiatric ward, and it's not even too late for you to admit yourself there tonight" she poisonously told Peyton, fighting with all her might to refrain from physically slapping Peyton's stupid smirk off of her face.

"I see that you're speaking from experience" Peyton seemed delighted to provoke Rachel, "When did you go there- after Brooke found you overdosing or was it after you stole Brooke's money?" she spitefully asked, snickering as she noticed that she had managed to hit a sensitive spot. Brooke, however, had had it when she realized how bad Peyton was making Rachel feel.

"That's enough!" she demanded, slipping out of Lucas' protective grasp and stepping up to face Peyton, "I want you out of my house now! Today you officially ended any doubt I had about us ever becoming friends again!"

"Well, today you officially proved just how big of a skank you actually are… Going after someone's boyfriend in high school was one thing, Brooke, but going after an engaged man as an adult makes you even sluttier than I thought!" Peyton said, looking so full of herself that had Brooke not been such a graceful person, and if Owen hadn't been holding onto Rachel- the blonde would have received a slap for sure. Instead, Brooke simply took a deep, calming breath and then quietly spoke.

"You're the one who should realize that we're not in high school, Peyton" she calmly told her, speaking in a serious, controlled tone, "Maybe then I was foolish enough to put your desires before my own and fall for your games, but I refuse to prioritize your needs before mine anymore" Brooke told Peyton, looking her straight in the eye to stress how sincere she was, "Lucas and I are together, Peyton, and this time your declarations and your lies will not come between us" she said, speaking with such conviction and dignity that Lucas felt his heart swell with pride for how she was handling herself. He rose to his feet, starting to make his way to his girl, wanting to envelope her in his arms and tell her how much her admired her grace. He stopped dead in his tracks, however, once Peyton spoke again.

"Do you still think that I'm lying?" Peyton countered, raising her left hand and flashing a dazzling ring that shined on her finger. However, her dramatic gesture only made Brooke laugh.

"Actually- yeah, Peyton. Now I'm certain that you're lying, because Lucas would never buy anything that flashy" she pointed out, her smile slightly widening as she noticed Peyton's features filling with anger, proving to her that she was right.

"Well- why don't you ask him for yourself?" Peyton angrily bit out. It seemed clear to Brooke that Peyton was desperately trying to find a way to provoke her, yet wanting to put an end to the matter and kick Peyton out, she theatrically turned to Lucas and did as she was told.

"Lucas, did you buy Peyton that hideous ring?" she humorously asked her boyfriend, only now noticing how uncomfortable he looked.

"No" he immediately replied, his tone so honest that Brooke immediately believed him, yet at the same time- it carried such awkwardness that Brooke was beginning to feel as though something she didn't know about was actually going on.

"Are you engaged to Peyton right now?" she asked, her tone half teasing and half serious, yet her eyes begging Lucas with all their might that he would eliminate the concern that was arising within her.

"No" Lucas once again replied, his tone and eyes proving to Brooke that he was telling the truth. She could still sense that Lucas was uncomfortable, yet she brushed the matter off, thinking that Peyton's presence was simply a reminder of bad times for Lucas. Turning back to Peyton with a triumphant smile, Brooke was about to tell her that she needed to leave, yet the blonde spoke out before she could even open her mouth.

"Really, Lucas?" Peyton raised an eyebrow at Lucas angrily, "Well then, let me just explain to you that after a man proposes to a woman- it means that they're engaged. You see, you may not have physically bought me this ring, but I paid for it with the money you left for me after you ditched me in Vegas, which technically means that you bought me this ring" she notified him with satisfaction, which only increased once she saw how angry Lucas was becoming and how the smile was quickly fading off of Brooke's face, "I mean- come on, you seriously didn't expect me to accept the ugly piece of- Ow!" Peyton's arrogant speech had at last come to a halt as Rachel could no longer listen to the words coming out of her mouth and smacked Peyton across her face with all her strength.

"Shut up already, you stupid bitch!" the redhead demanded furiously. She could tell from the lack of argument from Lucas' side that Peyton was actually telling the truth, and knew that she needed to shut the selfish blonde up, as with every word she was saying- Rachel knew that she was tearing Brooke's heart further up. Seeing that Peyton was still hunched-over and holding onto her cheek, Rachel whirled around to look at Brooke and her face fell as she noted how hurt her best friend looked.

"Is this all true, Lucas?" Brooke quietly asked her boyfriend, yet the tremor in her voice showed how much she was affected by Peyton's words and how hard she was fighting to keep it together.

"Brooke…" he softly began and started approaching her, yet she shut her eyes and shook her head vigorously.

"Tell me the truth- did you propose to Peyton in Vegas?" she demanded, more and more pain leaking into her voice with every passing moment. She had known that Lucas had flown to Las Vegas with Peyton in a short failing attempt to rekindle the romance they had had when they had been in high school, but she had figured that this had been it and that the two only shared several days together and quickly realized that they were not meant to be. Upon taking in the silence from Lucas' side and looking at his regretful face and at the smug expression Peyton managed to maintain while rubbing her burning cheek, Brooke realized that only several weeks before, Lucas had actually asked Peyton to be the one he would share his life with. Even though she could believe that at the moment, he might honestly want to be with her and not with Peyton, that didn't matter. It didn't matter- not only because he had kept this as a secret, but because Brooke realized that Peyton would always be there, keeping this love triangle alive and preventing Brooke from ever being able to be truly happy with Lucas.

Still, needing to hear it from him to make sure that she was about to throw the biggest love of her life away for a justified reason- Brooke stared deeply into those ocean-colored eyes she had fallen for and softly asked, "Lucas, did you ask Peyton to marry you?". Her question lingered in the still air for several moments, during which Brooke and Lucas maintained steady eye contact, her hazel eyes locked unwaveringly on his striking blue orbs. Only after those long moments passed, Lucas managed to open his mouth and utter one single word.

"Yes."

It was as though time suddenly froze. As the realization of what this sole word meant gradually dawned on Brooke, her blood began to slowly drain from her face, making her paler and paler with every passing moment. She felt as though her entire relationship with Lucas was based on a lie, as though every moment that they had shared had been completely meaningless, as for the entire time he had promised himself to another woman. Key moments from their relationship flashed in her head, but suddenly all of Lucas' sweet words and gestures seemed like nothing but lies and deceptions.

So much was going on in Brooke's mind, that it felt like they had been standing in place for ages, but only moments after Lucas made his revelation- Brooke averted her hurt eyes away from Lucas' gaze and brushed past Peyton on her way to her car. She could hear Lucas, Rachel and Owen calling after her and starting to make their ways to her, but much before anyone could reach her, she stepped into her car, turned on the engine and speeded away. She needed to get away- from Peyton, from Lucas and from this love triangle from hell that she had been stuck in since high school. As she finally allowed her tears to start falling down her cheeks, she was willing to admit that she needed someone to save her from all of it, and as always, despite his promise, that someone wasn't going to be Lucas Scott…

* * *

Nathan idly stroked Haley's back as she curled into him in bed, her thumb lazily drawing circles on his chest. Smiling to himself at how good it was to spend a peaceful, quiet evening alone with his wife, Nathan leaned down and pecked her on her temple.

"I wonder how Jamie is doing…" Haley expressed her thoughts out loud, causing Nathan to chuckle as he thought about his beloved son, who was spending the night at Deb's house, as he wanted some quality time with his grandmother.

"He's doing great, Hales. My mom is probably letting him eat ice-cream, watch TV and go to sleep way past his bedtime" Nathan made a probable guess, causing Haley to chuckle as she envisioned Nathan's description.

"If that's the case- it's no wonder he likes going to her house so much…" she mumbled, closing her eyes as sleep began consuming her.

The two of them fell into a comfortable silence, enjoying the warmth and intimacy of the embrace they shared. Haley just thought to herself how extremely lucky she was to be able to spend such a relaxing night alone with her husband, when they were suddenly both startled awake by a knock on their front door, which managed to interfere in their night of quality time, which they had both thought would be free of interruptions.

"I wonder who it is at this time at night…" Nathan grumbled with slight annoyance as he reluctantly got up on his feet and made his way to the front door with Haley following him closely behind.

Nathan swung the door open just a bit too harshly, yet his impatience towards his unexpected guest immediately evaporated as he saw who she was and more so- what state she was in.

"Brooke…" he softly called, reaching out for her right away and trying to pull her into his house, as he detected the tears that were streaming down her face, yet frowning upon feeling her tensing up and looking into his house hesitantly.

"Is Jamie home?" Brooke croaked out her question, harshly biting onto her lower lip in an attempt to keep her tears at bay.

Nathan and Haley shared confused and worried glances before Haley gently replied, "No, sweetie, he's sleeping over at Deb's tonight…"

"O.K…." Brooke nodded with a sob, causing Nathan and Haley's frowns to deepen, "Then can I please stay the night in your guest bedroom?" she asked, sounding so polite and so small that all Nathan and Haley wanted was to envelope her in a big hug.

"Sweetie, what happened?" Haley could no longer help herself and questioned her friend with concern, reaching out to her in an attempt to coax some answers regarding the reason of her upset state out of her. However, as gentle as it was- Haley's direct referral to what had just occurred in her house only caused Brooke to clam up. She had come to Nathan and Haley's house in order to get away from what had happened and not to talk about it, as the emotions she was overcome with were still too intense. However, as she looked at her friends' faces and saw how concerned they seemed, Brooke realized that she couldn't just come crying to their house in the middle of the night and refrain from explaining what was going on. This realization made her regret the fact that she had come and burdened her friends.

Shifting her weight from one foot to the other and averting her gaze to the floor, Brooke started retracting from Nathan and Haley's doorstep. "This was a mistake… I'm really sorry I bothered you guys…" she softly apologized, whirling around and attempting to flee back to her car before the sobs she was holding back could overpower her. She didn't even manage to step off of the front porch, however, before a small hand gently, but firmly, grabbed onto her and halted her actions.

"Brooke, a mistake would have been to deal with whatever it was that happened to you tonight on your own" Haley corrected her friend, staring at her worriedly and intently, yet sighing as Brooke refused to meet her eyes or open up and tell her what had happened. "Look, we don't have to talk about it at the moment, but right now I want you to come in and I'm not taking no for an answer" Haley said with a softer tone, feeling the need to convince Brooke even more as she noted that the brunette was still reluctant to come with her, "Hey, you remember our talk- when I told you that our home would always be open to you and that I wanted you to come to me and to Nate if you ever felt as bad as you did back then?" Haley paused, waiting for Brooke to slightly nod her head through her tears before she continued, "Well, I meant it" she gently told her, carefully coming up to Brooke and wiping away her tears, feeling her heart breaking as she witnessed Brooke's stream of tears worsening.

"O.K." Brooke quietly replied, unable to hold her tears back anymore, "Because I kind of feel like I did back then right now…" she revealed, her voice cracking at the end of her sentence.

Haley's eyes widened as the meaning behind Brooke's words registered to her. She recalled the details of the conversation that they had had and remembered that the feeling Brooke was talking about had been the loss of will to live anymore. Even if Brooke didn't currently mean that she was having such drastic thoughts, the mere fact that she even compared her current feeling to the one she had had back in that dark period she had experienced right after her attack clarified to Haley just how bad things were for Brooke at the moment.

Trying to hide how disturbed Brooke's declaration made her feel, Haley managed to offer Brooke a sad smile and to kindly say- "Well, honey, come in and we'll deal with whatever it is together" she promised, finally managing to carefully guide her devastated friend into her house.

Haley winced as she sensed Brooke's body beginning to tremble more violently as they entered the comforting warmth of the house, and was truly relieved when Nathan gently pulled Brooke from her arms after locking the door, as she didn't know what to say to her suffering friend without knowing what was the source of her pain. She just sadly watched her husband embracing her friend in a comforting hug, and worriedly exchanged glances with him when Brooke's silent cries escaladed into uncontrollable sobs under the influence of Nathan's caring presence.

Rubbing the brunette's back up and down in an attempt to soothe her heartbreaking cries, Nathan could no longer help it and softly questioned, "Brooke, did anyone physically hurt you?" he asked, seeing as her skin was covered by long pants and a long-sleeved shirt, which prevented him from finding out whether he needed to take her to a doctor or not. Both he and Haley heaved sighs of relief as Brooke shook her head, letting them know that she wasn't physically injured and helping them narrow down the possibilities running through their heads as to what could have happened to her.

Still, feeling rather helpless with just standing there and watching her cry, Haley approached Brooke and gently questioned, "Sweetie, would it be easier for you to talk to Lucas about what happened? We could call him for you if you would like…" she offered, knowing how close the blond had gotten to Brooke and therefore thinking that she might be more comfortable sharing the reason for her tears with him. However, much to Haley's horror, her innocent suggestion only caused Brooke to start crying with more force as she vigorously shook her head.

"I don't want to talk to Lucas ever again!" Brooke exclaimed throughout her tears, catching Haley and Nathan completely off-guard and clarifying to them that whatever she was upset about had been Lucas' doing. It shocked Nathan so much, as Brooke and Lucas seemed to have established such a strong, intimate relationship, that his grip on Brooke slightly loosened, enabling her to slip out of his arms and attempt to take off to the bathroom in order to refrain from allowing her friends to see her until she could somewhat compose herself. She had only meant to come to Nathan and Haley's house in order to get away from the pain that the truth about Lucas and Peyton inflicted upon her, and certainly hadn't intended to once again cry in their arms about her struggles and pains. She felt so ashamed and embarrassed about her outburst of emotions, that when Nathan grabbed onto her with his strong arms, bringing her back to him, and Haley began stroking her hair- it only made Brooke cry harder.

"Honey, did you guys get into a fight?" Haley carefully asked, her caring tone and the gentle touch of her fingers running through Brooke's hair causing the brunette's eyes to fill with even more tears.

"I think we're through…" Brooke brokenly replied, her raspy voice filled with so much pain that Nathan couldn't help but protectively tighten his grip on her.

"Do I need to kick my brother's ass?" he sincerely questioned Brooke, making her feel even more guilty for putting him in the middle of this, as he wasn't only Lucas' friend, but actual brother as well.

"Lucas is your brother, Nate. I don't want to-" Brooke drew apart from Nathan's arms in order to face him as she spoke, hoping that he could see the sincerity behind her tears, yet Nathan cut into her speech before she could finish her sentence.

"And you are like a sister to me, so I'm not cool with anyone- not even my own brother- hurting you, alright?" Nathan made his stand strictly clear, adding to it with the kind gesture of wiping away Brooke's tears. "Now, I'm assuming that Lucas had done something pretty bad for you to show up crying at our doorstep in the middle of the night, so just tell me- how big of a jerk was he tonight?" he asked her, using name-calling as a desperate attempt to put a smile on Brooke's face, but only deepening the sorrow on her features.

"Enough of a jerk to lead me on that I was his girlfriend after he actually got engaged to Peyton!" Brooke exclaimed, sheer anger blending in with her obvious pain.

"He's engaged to Peyton?" Haley incredulously asked, having a hard time believing that Lucas would actually mess with Brooke's trust so badly after all the pain she had been through and after how hard he had fought to get her back this time.

"He proposed to her in Vegas and only had the decency to admit that tonight, when she showed up in my house with a ring on her finger…" Brooke's angry façade quickly crumbled as her feelings of hurt and betrayal flooded her, causing her to tear up, "God, I can't believe that this is happening again… I can't believe I was stupid enough to fall for him and believe that things would be different this time…" her voice cracked as she could no longer control the feelings of anger, hurt and humiliation and broke down, quickly being collected into Haley's comforting embrace.

"It's going to be O.K., Brooke" Haley soothed, rubbing up and down Brooke's trembling back in an attempt to help her settle down, "I promise that we'll get through this together" she said, attempting to instill some hope in Brooke's shattered heart, yet feeling her own heart breaking as Brooke continued letting out uncontrollable sobs. She looked at Nathan over Brooke's shoulder, her kind eyes slightly widening as she took in the rage radiating off of her husband.

"I'm seriously going to kill him" Nathan muttered through gritted teeth, fighting hard to restrain the anger that was building up inside of him at the sight of what his brother had done to his friend. He had seen her working so hard to build her confidence after both of the attacks and fighting all the doubts she had in order to trust Lucas again and let him in, that it simply enraged Nathan to think that his brother had been playing with her all along, creeping into her heart while knowing that there was someone else to whom he had promised himself.

Consumed with those aggravating thoughts, Nathan grabbed his car keys and started making his way towards the door, intending to have a word or two with Lucas. Haley's voice, however, caused him to halt his angry stride. He turned around upon hearing her call out his name, just in time to see Brooke wiggling out of her arms and running to the bathroom, her sobs still rolling freely out of her mouth. Both he and Haley closed their eyes as they heard her closing the door after her and starting to cry even harder. Trying to control his anger, Nathan balled his fists and gritted his teeth, yet the heartbreaking sounds of Brooke crying her heart out were simply too much for him. He once again began making his way towards the front door, but Haley's small hand stopped him once more.

"Haley…" Nathan began to protest, displeased with the idea of letting Lucas get away with hurting Brooke this badly. Haley, however, shook her head and cut him off.

"Listen, I understand how mad you are at Lucas, but Brooke's a mess…" Haley pointed out. As Nathan still seemed unaffected by her words, Haley added, "Right now it's far more important to help her through this and make sure she doesn't do anything stupid than to go to confront Lucas" she reasoned, slightly softening Nathan's expression, as she began getting through to him. "Come on, Nathan" she added, "You can talk to Lucas tomorrow. He's not the one who's so hurt, he's crying his eyes out in our bathroom right now…" she pointed out, finally causing Nathan to give in and put down his car keys.

As Nathan suddenly remembered how depressed Brooke had been after her first attack, when he had gone to see her at the hospital in New York, his eyes slightly widened. He finally realized what Haley was so worried about as he finally understood how grave Brooke's declaration was when she had said that she felt similar to the way she had felt back then. In a certain sense, it only increased his urge to smack Lucas across the face, but he understood that he currently needed to channel his energy towards helping his hurting friend.

Putting his hand on Haley's shoulder, Nathan gently advised, "Why don't you go and get Brooke something more comfortable to change into, while I check on how she's doing…". Once Haley nodded and started making her way upstairs, Nathan quickly went over to the bathroom that Brooke was in. He paused in front of the door, sighing as he heard her trying to stifle her cries, and then gently announced, "Brooke, I'm coming in…"

Pushing the door open carefully and looking into the small room in concern, Nathan was heartbroken to find Brooke holding onto the sink with both hands and bowing her head down as she struggled to stop crying. Not knowing what to say, Nathan sadly walked up to her and opted for putting his hand on her back and physically trying to convey to her that things would be alright, that he would have her back no matter what. His heart constricted with pain when a sob slipped through Brooke's lips in response to his gentle, thoughtful gesture.

"I'm sorry…" Brooke choked out in between her cries, causing Nathan to instinctively start rubbing his hand up and down her trembling back, "I didn't mean to act like such a baby and ruin your night…" she said, putting a sad smile on Nathan's face, as he mused over the fact that even when she was completely heartbroken- Brooke still managed to put herself aside and think about others.

"You're a beautiful person, Brooke Davis, you know?" Nathan softly said to Brooke, the brotherly love in his voice and the gentle way his palm was stroking her back only worsening Brooke's emotional state and stream of tears.

"Come here…" Nathan carefully gathered Brooke into his embrace, wrapping his arms around her small frame and kissing her on top of her head. As she fought against her cries, miserably failing in her attempts and only causing her breaths to hitch in her throat, Nathan shook his head and gently instructed, "Just let it out, babe", causing Brooke to give up and to let out the sobs she had tried to hold back. Knowing that there were no words that could really make his friend feel better, Nathan just held her in his arms and let her cry until she had grown so tired, she could barely stand on her feet. Looking down at her and seeing how exhausted she had grown, he gently wiped away her tears and was about to lead her to the guest bedroom and let her get some sleep, when she quietly spoke.

"I really thought that things would be different this time, Nate…" she admitted in a small, broken voice, sounding so sad and betrayed that he immediately tightened his hold on her.

"I really thought so too, Brooke" he told her, rubbing her back comfortingly, wishing there was something more he could say to erase the pain-stricken look on her face.

They stood there quietly for several more minutes, Nathan gently continuing to stroke Brooke's back in an attempt to sooth her, until Haley came up to them with a change of clothes for Brooke and suggested that she would go and lay down. A couple of minutes later, when Brooke was wearing the pajamas that Haley had lent her and was snuggled under the blankets between Haley and Nathan, who were unwilling to leave her side until she would fall asleep, or at least- settle down some, a new round of tears made her feel as though she had a lump in her throat. She sniffled, trying to stop herself from becoming emotional again, yet when the first tear slipped out of her eye, the second and third were quick to follow, causing Haley to frown at her with concern.

"Hey… What's the matter, honey?" she gently asked Brooke, her warm, brown eyes glistening over with tears as well, as she couldn't remain unaffected by her friend's evident pain.

Struggling through her tears, Brooke sounded almost wounded when she replied, "You guys, Jamie and Rachel are all that I have… What's so wrong with me that I'm not good enough almost for everybody?" she questioned with such pain that Haley couldn't help but allow several tears to trickle out of her eyes and fall down her face. Grabbing onto Brooke's shoulder, she waited until her upset friend looked her in the eye before she spoke, as she truly needed Brooke to understand that the ones with the problem were Victoria, Peyton, and seemingly Lucas, and most certainly not her.

"Listen to me, Brooke- you _are_ good enough. In fact- you're more than just good enough- you're one of the most beautiful, special people I have ever met, alright?" she said to her, the sheer emotion in her voice conveying how much she meant what she said. "Honey, you're our Brooke. Nathan, Jamie and I love you with all our hearts…" she honestly said, squeezing Brooke's shoulder affectionately as the brunette lowered her tearful gaze to her lap.

"That's right, Brooke" Nathan quietly added, hugging Brooke to his side, wanting her to feel how much she was cared for.

"I love you guys too…" she raspily croaked out, leaning into her friends' embrace and allowing them to loll her to sleep in their arms. She was grateful to no extent that she had Nathan and Haley, yet even in her sleep, Brooke's heart ached, for the person she loved the most in the entire world, the person to whom she had given her heart, had just hurt her more then she thought was possible, leaving her once again with a bleeding heart…

* * *

**AN:** **I realize that you guys hate me for ruining Brooke's happiness after everything she's been through and after she was finally happy for a change, but I promise that she and Lucas will be back again pretty soon... I would really love to hear what you guys thought about this chapter and now that the show might be ending- I would also like to know who will still be intersted in reading my story, even if the show won't continue... It might be kind of strange to write a fic for a show that's not running anymore, but I have so much more planned for this story and so many more twists and turns, that it would really be a shame to stop updating before I share with you guys what's been going on in my head all these months. I guess it's kind of up to you guys- if you tell me you still want to read more, even if there won't be a season 8- I'll definitely keep the updates coming! ;-)**


	33. Chapter 33

**Hi guys! I definitely did update as soon as I could, but the upcoming month or two are going to be absolutely crazy for me with my finals and with some things I have been involved with coming up, so you have been warned ahead of time as for my next update... However, I will definitely try to make your wait as short as possible and you guys can definitely help me out, as your reviews totally motivate me to write faster! Anyway, I was really excited to see how many of you would still be interested in reading this story, regardless if the show ends or not, so thanks to everyone who told me that and warmed my heart! ;-) I really hope you'll enjoy this chapter!**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 33**

Nathan's piercing blue eyes blazed over as he stared intently at the fire originating from his stove-top, which he was currently using in order to fry an omelet for breakfast. He expertly flipped it over, his attention seemingly focusing solely on the task at hand, but his mind was actually a million miles away. He had had a terrible, sleepless night, which emblazoned his features with evident exhaustion; at first, he had needed to soothe Brooke's cries and loll her to sleep in his arms, yet once he and Haley had finally managed to do so, he realized that his wife had also dozed off besides their broken friend. Not wanting to wake her up, yet thinking that it would be inappropriate for him to also fall asleep in the same bed with a girl that wasn't his wife, as they were not in high school anymore, Nathan had simply pulled a chair over and sat down besides the two resting girls, knowing that he wouldn't be able to sleep without Haley by his side. Then, once sleep had finally begun to consume him, Nathan had been startled awake by a knock on his front door. Not wanting the girls' sleep to be disturbed, he had rushed to open it, having a good guess as to who he'd find there, and surely enough- there was Lucas, right before him. He had quickly closed the door in Lucas' face, not before yelling at him for breaking Brooke's heart and warning him to leave before he would kick his ass, as Brooke had finally cried herself to sleep. Afterwards, even though Lucas had actually left without further upsetting him, Nathan had remained sitting on the living room couch, seething and unable to fall asleep for hours. Only at the brink of dawn had the exhaustion beaten Nathan's fury, enabling him to fall asleep for one single hour, until the sun had risen high enough to caress his closed eyes- thus waking him up. He had crept upstairs and upon finding both Haley and Brooke still fast asleep- had decided to prepare a nutritious breakfast for them before waking the girls up. That's how Nathan found himself busy making coffee, eggs and toast early that morning, appearing to be focused, yet actually busy worrying about his close friend, whose heart had been shattered to pieces.

Nathan was so busy brooding, that he didn't notice the soft padding of feet coming his way, until a high-pitched voice greeted him with a tired, "Good morning".

Turning around, slightly startled, Nathan was surprised to find his wife standing several feet away from him and looking at him with her warm, caring eyes. "Morning, Hales" he tiredly smiled at her, putting the omelet he had prepared on a plate and then turning his entire attention back to her. "How did you sleep?" he questioned, genuinely interested in knowing how her night had been.

"Alright… How about you? Did you get any sleep?" Haley inquired, staring at him worriedly.

"I'm fine, Hales" Nathan shrugged with a smile, quickly averting the subject as he saw Haley's brow crease with worry, "How is Brooke doing? Is she still sleeping?" he asked, causing Haley to shake her head.

"She'll be down in a few minutes, she's just changing…" she replied, her eyes wearing a sincere expression, projecting to Nathan just how worried she was about Brooke. Sighing, Nathan wanted to assure his wife that Brooke would be fine, but before he could do so, the brunette in question suddenly appeared on top of the staircase, causing the couple to avert their eyes to her as she quietly made her way towards them and then greeted them with a soft, raspy "Hey".

"Hi Brooke" Nathan replied, biting his tongue moments before asking her how she was doing, as he saw her edgily playing with the hem of her blouse, clarifying to him that she was fighting to conceal the overflowing emotions within herself. Putting his hand on her shoulder comfortingly, in an attempt to get her to meet his eyes, Nathan softly said, "Sit down, I made us some breakfast".

Brooke's hazel eyes jumped from Nathan's face and over to the table, which Haley had set for the three of them with the food that Nathan had prepared. As she took in her friends' kind, simple gesture, Brooke's eyes glazed over and her heart both warmed due to their care, but also constricted- as she thought of the man with whom she had been waking up those past few weeks, the man who had been the one to prepare breakfast for her every morning, except for this one…

Unable to swallow the lump forming in her throat, Brooke quickly lowered her gaze to the floor and softly mumbled, "Thanks, Nate, but I'm not hungry…" She turned around, about to take off to the nearest room possible, as the tears welling up in her eyes were about to fall, yet Nathan gently but firmly grabbed onto her, turning her around so she was facing him.

"When's the last time you ate?" he interrogated, giving her a pointed look, despite the pleading look in her eyes and the tears that began dampening her cheeks.

"I had a few grapes for dinner last night" Brooke replied with a shrug, once again trying to slip out of the room, as she felt her emotions getting the best of her, but her response only caused Nathan to tighten his grasp on her.

"Brooke, sit down and eat, or I'll just have to call Rachel and ask her what she thinks about that…" he warned, half jokingly but half sincerely, knowing that the redhead had been carefully monitoring Brooke's eating ever since her attack, much to Brooke's annoyance. Both he and Brooke knew what a lecture Rachel would give to Brooke about the need to eat healthily, so Nathan wasn't at all surprised when his comment got to Brooke, causing her to groan through her tears.

"Fine, just give me a minute" she caved in, intending to wash her face and get a grip over herself before coming down to eat, as she was in no way in the mood for having Rachel bite her head off for slightly skipping meals due to the stress in her schedule and personal life.

Nathan nodded and released his grip on her, but just as she was about to go to wash her face, the front door opened, causing her eyes to widen in alarm. She was grateful for Nathan for stepping in front of her, as she was certain that she was about to come face to face with Lucas, and was in no way prepared to see him in her currently broken state, but the both of them were surprised to actually see Jamie and Deb happily entering the house, once the door was wide open. Realizing that she was a complete mess, Brooke quickly tried to wipe the tears off of her face and to prevent the ones pooling in her eyes from falling. She hated having Jamie see her like that so much, that she suddenly wished it had been Lucas at the door instead of her 5-year-old godson.

"Aunt Brooke!" Brooke's attempt to slip out of the room before Jamie would notice her failed miserably as the blond boy ran up to her and flung himself into her arms.

"Hey, Jimmy-Jam!" Brooke forced the cheeriest tone she possibly could as she picked up the small boy, hugging him to her body with one hand as she quickly tried to dry her face with the other. It was no use, though, as her swollen, red eyes gave her away, and her young godson was far too observant to refrain from catching onto that.

"Why are you crying, Aunt Brooke?" he worriedly stared at her face, the brooding expression on his face causing Brooke's eyes to fill with more stubborn tears, as he reminded her so much of his uncle that it just hurt to look at him.

"I'm just really tired, buddy" she lamely tried to excuse her condition, knowing that it would be impossible to convince him that she was fine with the way he was intently staring at the tears glistening in her eyes. Still, her attempt to brush the matter off failed to persuade the boy in her arms, only causing him to raise an eyebrow at her in disbelief.

"It was Uncle Lucas again, wasn't it?" he knowingly asked, his unbelievable wisdom and intuition once again proving themselves.

"Um… I'm gonna go and lie down for a bit, O.K.?" Brooke quickly said, kissing Jamie on top of his head and carefully putting him down before she fled upstairs, not wanting to let Jamie see her breaking down, and knowing that she wouldn't be able to keep it together for much longer. She realized that Jamie had seen right through her, but wasn't about to admit to him that he was right, as she didn't want to sabotage his relationship with his uncle. Running up to the guest bedroom, Brooke heard Jamie asking his parents what he had done wrong for Brooke to react the way she did, and she simply lost it. She bit onto her lower lip, trying to strangle her sobs, but once she was finally inside the room and had closed the door behind her, she couldn't help it anymore and let her body wrack with her silent sobs. She sat down on the windowsill, trying to catch her breath, but only managing to let out more muted cries which carried all the hurt that her heart carried ever since the previous night, when Lucas completely shattered it. She wanted to be strong, she really did, but it was all simply too much for her.

Several minutes later, once she thought she had finally managed to calm down somewhat, Brooke could hear a knock on the front door, which was immediately followed by the door opening and Rachel's voice tensely and loudly asking for her whereabouts. She really loved Rachel to death, but at the moment she just needed to be left alone, and not showered with the overprotective care that her friend insisted on giving her. Therefore, Brooke considered locking herself in the bathroom, so she could have some alone time, but was unable to even fully process that thought, as the fiery redhead suddenly appeared at her doorstep, her face wearing a worried frown.

"I'm fine, Rachel" Brooke tried to soften her friend's concerned expression, but Rachel quickly shook her head, obviously not convinced by the brunette's broken tone.

"No you're not, Brooke" she informed her, stepping up to her and taking a seat on the windowsill, by her side, "But I'm gonna make sure you will be" she promised, taking Brooke's hands and squeezing them supportively.

"Rache…" Brooke slipped her hands away from her friend's grip, desperately feeling the need for some space with the way all those surrounding her seemed to hover over her, yet Rachel didn't seem to accept the way that Brooke seemed to clam up.

"Look, I kicked both goldilocks one and two out of your house last night and if they know what's good for them- they won't be coming back, so right now I want you to go down and have some breakfast and then come back home and get some rest" Rachel instructed, truly having the best intentions at heart, but causing Brooke to simply feel like she was suffocating.

"Please, just stop!" Brooke rose to her feet and cried out, feeling as though she was about to lose it at any given moment. She knew that Nathan, Jamie and Rachel were only trying to look after her, but they were simply coming onto her too strongly with the way they had been bombarding her with questions and instructions ever since she had woken up that morning. She was stressed enough as it was having only four days left until the presentation, so her friends' adamancy to pick at the shield she was trying to build around her heart so she could function properly through this crucial event made her feel like she was going to fall apart. Furthermore, the huge difference between the bliss she had felt just 24 hours earlier, when she had thought she was on the right path to get everything she had ever wanted, to the low point she was currently experienced, as she felt hurt, betrayed and broken beyond repair, simply made her feel like a lost child.

As Brooke buried her face in her hands and let out a broken sob, the concern on Rachel face intensified. Realizing that she needed to be gentler with her friend, Rachel carefully stepped up to her and addressed her with a soft "Brooke…", yet the devastated brunette simply shook her head and stepped away from her.

"I'm sorry, Rae, I can't do this right now…" she choked out between her strangled cries, her eyes pleading with Rachel for understanding. She grabbed her purse and began backing away, towards the room's doorway, and before Rachel could even process what was going on- bolted towards the staircase.

"Brooke!" Rachel called after her in alarm, unwilling to let her friend leave the house alone in her upset state. She began running after her, cursing herself for choosing to wear such high heels, as Brooke was enlarging the gap between the two of them and getting dangerously close to the front door. She internally kicked herself as Brooke actually did manage to step out of the house and close the door after her, but just when she thought that Brooke had managed to get away, she heard the brunette loudly shrieking and threatening someone not to dare to touch her. Realizing that she could now catch up with Brooke and willing to bet that the person Brooke was speaking to was Lucas, Rachel quicken her pace, intending to give Lucas a piece of her mind and then to drag her friend back into the safety of Nathan and Haley's home.

At the same time, just as Rachel had suspected, Brooke found herself facing Lucas, her angry and hurt gaze meeting his begging eyes. "Stay away from me…" she hissed as he tried to take a step towards her, causing him to stop, but to keep looking at her pleadingly.

"Brooke, I need to explain to you what really happened in Vegas. You got it all wrong yesterday!" he tried to tell her, yet Brooke wouldn't hear of it.

"Why don't you go back to your fiancée, Lucas. Unlike me, she might still be willing to take you back!" she told him, poison and pain blending in her voice and causing Lucas to shut his eyes sorrowfully, hating himself for the fact that he had managed to hurt her again.

"Brooke…" he tried to approach her once more, yet the small brunette once again distanced herself from him, looking at him with such sadness that his heart broke then and there.

"You don't get to talk to me, Lucas. You don't get to make another speech with beautiful words that mean absolutely nothing, because this was your chance, Lucas, and you blew it!" Brooke exclaimed, starting to make her way towards her car, the tears she bravely held back in front of him now falling down her face. She hastened her steps as she heard the front door of the house opening and three sets of steps coming after her. As she heard Nathan, Rachel and Haley frantically calling after her, pleading with her to stop, she knew that the right thing to do would have been to stop, as she would be making her friends worried sick if she would just disappear on her own, but at the moment, she felt like the only possible way for her to breathe properly would be to get away from it all.

As she got into her car and turned the engine on, Brooke could hear Nathan tensely calling out for her to stop as he raced towards her car, but she just stepped on the gas pedal, managing to take off moments before Nathan reached her car, moments before all hell would have broken loose had Haley not had the strength to restrain her husband…

* * *

It had been three hours since Brooke had fled from the Scott household, and her cell-phone had been frantically ringing ever since, yet she refrained from answering it at all. She knew that her friends must be worried out of their minds about her by now, as she had given them no sign of life for the past three hours, but she just felt the need to be by herself while she truly processed the way that her life had turned upside-down since the previous night.

As Brooke sat down in the back of her store and quietly sketched, her nerves were calming down, but tears were still falling down her cheeks rapidly. She wasn't angry anymore, she was just hurt that Lucas had fooled her and broken her heart again after she had specifically told him that she wouldn't bear it if he would mess with her trust once more. As her vision blurred from her tears, Brooke sniffled and internally cursed herself for being stupid enough to once again fall for the blond man's charm and mesmerizing ocean-colored gaze, after all those times he had burned her in the past.

When the front door of her store abruptly opened, Brooke sucked in a breath and bit onto her lower lip to keep herself silent. She knew that the person entering her store was probably one of her worried friends, but couldn't help but flash back to her attack in her store and be filled with fear all over again.

"Brooke?" when Lucas' familiar voice filled the space of her store, Brooke's body immediately sagged with relief, yet she remained sitting silently in her spot, hoping that he would just leave and let her be on her own. Contrary to her wish, however, the blond man appearing in the back part of her store within seconds, the panic on his features easing considerably at the very instant that he spotted her.

"Are you alright, Brooke?" Lucas couldn't help but ask as he looked at the tears wetting her perfect porcelain cheeks, causing the relief Brooke was filled with to blend in with annoyance. She audibly huffed, expressing her irritation, before icily responding.

"Not that it's any of your business- but I'm fine, no thanks to you…" she coldly told him, quickly wiping the tears off of her face and causing Lucas' heart to fall at the sight of her stubborn attempt to hide her pain away from him, which showed him that she was quickly slipping through his fingers, like sand from an open palm on a windy day.

"Listen, Brooke- yesterday things were blown completely out of proportion and taken out of context…" he tried to explain, but Brooke cut into his speech, sounding so hurt and disappointed that he immediately grew silent.

"You know what, Lucas- I really thought that you genuinely cared about me this time, but I was obviously wrong…" she said, causing Lucas' eyes to widen in alarm, as he couldn't let her keep thinking that way.

"You weren't wrong! I love you, pretty g-"

"Don't say that to me!" Brooke shrieked, cutting into his speech heatedly, "You knew that I was vulnerable this time, but that I had agreed to let my guard down for you. I freakin' _told_ you that I couldn't get hurt this time, Lucas, so if you had an ounce of care for me in your heart, you would have told me about your engagement to Peyton back then, when you could have still spared my heart from being broken!" she exclaimed, inhaling sharply so she wouldn't break down in front of him.

"Look, I know it sounds bad right now, but it's not what you think…" Lucas tried to defend himself, yet only caused Brooke's eyes to fill with more fury.

"Did you propose to Peyton or not?" she edgily asked, sheer annoyance coating her tone.

"I did, but-"

"Then it's exactly what I think!" Brooke retorted, cutting him off angrily. "You lied to me!" she accused, her eyes blazing with anger.

"Baby, I would never do that…" Lucas wearily said, tired of fighting with Brooke, but unwilling to leave before he would explain everything to her.

"You said that the only one you wanted was me, that it didn't work out between you and Peyton…" Brooke pointed out.

"That's the truth, Brooke, it really didn't…" he tried to convince her, only causing Brooke to become more upset.

"Well, in my book when you propose to someone, things are working out pretty great!" she bit back, tears once again forming in her eyes as the feelings of hurt, betrayal and humiliation once again washed her over.

"Brooke, I swear to you that it really wasn't like that" Lucas said, only causing Brooke to huff. Desperate to get his point across, he helplessly added, "Look, it really didn't mean anything…" only pausing to think about what he had said when he saw Brooke's furious expression.

"_Unbelievable_!" she exclaimed, "Do you even hear yourself right now? Maybe a kiss can mean nothing to you, but a proposal?" she looked at him with disbelief, reminding him about the conversation they once had in high school, when she had insisted that a kiss always meant something. He closed his eyes in regret, realizing how badly he always managed to mess up with Brooke, but quickly opened them once he heard what Brooke had to say next, "I am so glad I didn't sleep with you, Lucas, because you were right- if this is your attitude, I would have definitely regretted it!"

Looking at the betrayed expression plastered over her face, Lucas could feel his heart falling, knowing that he had caused that. Without even thinking, Lucas softly said, "If you just let me explain things to you, you would see that you got the wrong idea and that I had never meant to hurt you, Brooke" instantly regretting the words that just left his mouth when he saw the rage taking over Brooke's demeanor.

"Well, that's just great … You sound like a freakin' broken record! Why would you even say that to me when I already told you before that it doesn't really matter-"

"Because in the end, it hurts all the same" Lucas cut her off and completed her sentence with sadness and shame.

"Exactly" Brooke simply and icily replied, her cold eyes piercing right through his orbs and causing him to feel even guiltier than before. He actually felt so guilty, that when Brooke muttered, "Now get out of my store" he could only nod and slowly walk out of Brooke's boutique, realizing that he might have just lost his chance with the woman he loved.

As she watched the only man she had ever truly loved walk away and disappear into Tree Hill's streets, Brooke felt the tears choking her up again. She went back to the back of her store and sat back down next to her sketches, biting onto her lower lip and helplessly trying to keep on sketching, yet releasing a loud sob upon realizing that her tears were currently blurring her vision and preventing her from being able to escape to her work, as she would always do. Brooke therefore closed her eyes and allowed her tears to fall as she took several deep breaths, willing herself to calm down. She was about to start sketching again in a stubborn attempt to escape her pain, when her cell-phone rang and even though she wanted to ignore it- she realized that it was probably Nathan, Haley or Rachel and therefore understood that she needed to answer it before her friends would go out of their minds.

Flipping her phone open and answering it with a soft "Hello?" without even looking to see who it was, Brooke was truly surprised to hear who was actually the one who had called her, but more so by what he had to say to her.

"Hey, it's me. I've got two tickets to Las Vegas. Do you want to get married tonight?"

* * *

**AN: lol... You guys must think that Lucas has lost his mind, and therefore- that I have lost my mind as well, don't you? Well, I can assure that _I_ haven't and as for Lucas- you'll just have to wait and see next time... ;-) Please let me know what you thought about this chapter! ;-)**


	34. Chapter 34

**Hi guys! I know it's been a while, but trust me when I say- I published this as soon as I possibly could... I had a really crazy schedule lately, but all of your reviews and wonderful words definitely motivated me to write through all the stress I was going through... Anyway- I know that all of you were wondering what the meaning of chapter 33's ending was, so here it is! I hope you'll like it! ;-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Last Time**

_Flipping her phone open and answering it with a soft "Hello?" without even looking to see who it was, Brooke was truly surprised to hear who was actually the one who had called her, but more so by what he had to say to her._

_"Hey, it's me. I've got two tickets to Las Vegas. Do you want to get married tonight?"_

**Chapter 34**

She was silent for a moment, as she was so stunned, she couldn't even form words, yet after the initial shock wore off, absolute rage filled her body in such an extreme way- she thought she was about to explode.

"No, I don't want to get married to you, Lucas!" she exclaimed, "What the hell is wrong with you? Who the hell proposes on the phone and who the hell would be stupid enough to actually accept such a cheap and casual proposal?" she questioned with anger and disbelief. Sure, she had been mad at Lucas, but even through her anger she would have never believed that the sweet, romantic boy she had fallen in love with all those years ago could insult her with such a meaningless proposal. Much to her shock, though, the front door of her store suddenly opened and Lucas appeared at the doorstep, giving her an answer to her rhetorical question.

"Peyton" he simply said, walking slightly into her store and looking at her with such sincere eyes, that she forgot to be angry and could only look at him with shock.

"What?" Brooke's hazel eyes widened in surprise and confusion, finally flashing Lucas a different emotion than anger or hurt. Heaving a sigh of relief, as he felt unbelievably thankful to finally receive the chance to explain himself to Brooke, and patting himself on the back for managing to come up with the way to finally capture Brooke's attention- Lucas gave her a small smile and then quickly explained.

"This big, meaningful proposal you were talking about… That was it" he simply said, causing Brooke's eyes to widen even more as his words completely shocked her. Much to Lucas' convenience, she was stunned into silence, enabling him to further elaborate, "I was slightly drunk that evening and for some reason, which I really can't figure out, I decided to drive to the airport and buy tickets to Vegas. I guess I thought it would be a good way to clear my head, but I didn't want to go there alone, so I suddenly found myself needing to choose who I wanted to take with me on my journey. It suddenly seemed to me like a much greater moment- like a moment of truth in my life, so I decided to go all the way with it…" he tried to explain, realizing more and more how stupid his process of thought had been back then, "I know it sounds completely dumb, but at that moment, it just made complete sense to me, and not only that- it also made sense to me to make the easiest choice- the one that everyone was expecting. At first I convinced myself that this was what I wanted, but it quickly became clear to me that it was all wrong and that Peyton was certainly not the one for me… When I saw you in Vegas that day I knew I messed up, so I broke up with Peyton and left her some money to pay for her trip back home. That's the truth, Brooke- I swear I'm not leading you on…" he concluded, his eyes pleading with her to accept his honest explanation.

"That's really messed up, Lucas" Brooke quietly informed him, overwhelmed with the information he had just given her and truly uncertain about how she felt regarding what he had just told her. Looking at her sadly, Lucas nodded in agreement.

"I know… I kind of wish that I would have been arrested for drunk driving that night. It would have saved me from acting like such an idiot…" he said, putting a momentary smile on Brooke's face, which quickly faded when she noticed how longingly Lucas was looking at her.

"I don't know what you want me to say, Lucas…" she confusedly told him, obviously still struggling to digest everything he had told her and looking so lost that Lucas could no longer take it.

Carefully approaching her, Lucas sorrowfully said, "I just wish you could see that I love you and that even though you think otherwise- the high-school version of me who has hurt you is gone…" he softly told her, looking into her eyes intently, "I know I made a mistake by proposing to Peyton and I know that I should have told you all about what happened in Vegas, but the truth is that I haven't thought about Peyton even once since I came back to Tree Hill and saw you, Brooke" he heartfeltly said, causing Brooke to uncomfortably shift her eyes to the floor.

"Lucas…" she quietly mumbled, her tone begging him to stop, as he was getting through to her and confusing her even more, but Lucas realized that he had managed to find a path to Brooke's heart and couldn't possibly give up on the opening he had acquired.

"Please just listen to me, pretty girl" he softly asked, instinctively coming up to Brooke and cupping her cheek, so she would face him. He realized that he had gone too far in an instant, as Brooke flinched in response to his touch and endearing nickname, but it was too late, as he had already crossed the line, causing Brooke to draw away from him and to shakily speak.

"You know what, Lucas- I don't have time for this right now… I have to present my men's line to the board in four days and make sure that they like it, or else I will lose my company for real, and since you probably want to spend time with your precious Peyton, now that she's back in town, I also have to find someone to replace you as a model-"

"Come on, Brooke, you know I'll come to the presentation" he cut her off and declared, only causing Brooke to huff, "Look, I will be there in your board meeting whether you like it or not, since a third of the clothes you made have been altered to my exact measures" he pointed out, knowing that Brooke couldn't argue with that.

"Fine" she huffed unhappily, "But I still have so much to do that I can't deal with this right now!" she exclaimed, jumping slightly when she heard the store's door opening, only to sigh in relief when her eyes were met with Owen's orbs, which were cautiously studying her and Lucas.

"Is everything alright in here?" he asked Brooke, crossing his arms over his chest, as if to remind Lucas that he was much stronger than him and that he would use his strength upon him if he were to learn that he had been upsetting Brooke. When he was met with a tense silence and observed how flustered Brooke seemed to be, even in her silent state, Owen scowled at Lucas and approached the small brunette before him.

"Come on" Owen softly said, putting his large hand on Brooke's frail back in a protective manner, "Let's get you out of here…" he offered, realizing that Brooke was perplexed due to Lucas' presence. Therefore, when Brooke remained rooted in her spot despite his attempt to guide her to his car, Owen frowned and looked down at her face with confused eyes.

"What is it?" he asked her, looking straight at her as he awaited her response.

"Is everyone else out there with you?" Brooke questioned back instead of replying.

"No- we split up so we could find you, but I can call-"

"No!" she immediately replied, clarifying to Owen that she needed some space from all of her friends' slightly overbearing care, "No, let's just go" she added after slightly composing herself, causing Owen to nod and to start leading her towards the exit of the store.

"Brooke, wait-" Lucas called out and approached the duo in an attempt to stop them before Brooke would once again slip away through his fingers, yet just as he was about to reach out for Brooke, Owen abruptly stopped walking and positioned himself between him and Brooke.

"Look man, I didn't come here to pick up a fight with you, but you're really starting to piss me off" the large bartender warned, "It's bad enough that she's upset because of you, but-"

"You stay out of this, Owen. It's none of your business!" Lucas cut into his speech and told him off with annoyance. He was beyond irritated by the fact that everyone seemed to meddle in his relationship with Brooke and even more- that now that he had finally begun to get through to her- Owen interrupted and brought him back to square one. His edgy response, however, didn't only draw Brooke even further away from him, but also caused Owen to lose his temper even more.

"Well, I'm making it my business, Lucas!" he hollered back at him, causing Brooke to slightly jump. Her eyes, which flew up to his face, widened considerably once she noticed just how furious he seemed to be.

"Owen, stop" she softly told him, putting her small hand on his muscular arm and trying to calm him down before the situation would escalade to a physical fight, "Come on, let's just get out of here" she pleaded, finally causing Owen to take a deep, calming breath and to nod with agreement. His renewed calm state, however, evaporated in an instant, as he and Brooke realized that Lucas was still following them on their way to the car.

"Lucas, please…" Brooke stepped towards him and quickly begged, knowing that she needed to react before Owen if she didn't want all hell to break loose, "I need some space right now, but I'll see you tomorrow for some fittings, O.K.?" she asked, her weary eyes pleading with him to let her go.

Watching the woman he loved looking so frail and worn out, and knowing that it was he who was responsible for her state, Lucas could only nod sadly and watch her walk away and disappear into Owen's van. His heart broke in his chest a little more as he watched the big car disappear into the distance, carrying Brooke even farther away from him than she was several moments earlier. He knew that the only thing he could do at the moment was to give Brooke the time apart she had asked for, but he just hoped that by the next day, she would allow him to get through to her a bit more, and not completely shut him out, as she had done in the past. Sighing with sorrow as he locked the door to Brooke's store and began to walk away, Lucas could only busy his mind with one thing- finding the tool with which he could break through the shield that Brooke was quickly building around her heart, which would not hurt her anymore than he had hurt her already…

* * *

Owen sighed as he glanced at the silent brunette sitting on the passenger's seat beside him. It was the only way he could currently describe the usually vibrant, talkative and perky woman by his side- silent. It made him slightly uncomfortable to see her so quiet and pensive, but he knew that after the overwhelming display of care that her friends showered her with during that morning- that Brooke just needed to be given some time to quietly and privately process everything she was going through, and he wasn't good with heart to hearts anyway. Still, as they kept driving and Brooke seemed to become more and more detached, Owen couldn't help but grow worried.

"Hey…" he finally broke the silence, unable to refrain from expressing his concern anymore, "I know that I'm not all that good with words, but my years as a bartender have taught me to be a pretty decent listener, so if you want to talk- I'm here for ya…" he plainly told her. As a tough guy, he struggled with showing his sentimental side, so this honest, plain statement meant a lot more than it might seem, coming from him. Knowing how meaningful this declaration actually was, Brooke couldn't help but slightly smile.

"Thanks, Owen" she said, her eyes flashing him her gratitude, "I'll keep that in mind" she added, making him understand that she needed to figure things out for herself right now and that he could probably currently help her out best by taking her mind off of things.

Recalling how alarmed Brooke had become when she had thought that all of her friends were waiting for her outside her store, Owen suddenly realized that she might actually be most comfortable with him at the moment due to the fact that he was the only one who wasn't forcing her to confront her emotions. Therefore, knowing that once they would be back at her house, all of her friends would once again bombard her with their concern, Owen thoughtfully offered, "Do you want to go and grab some lunch out of town- just you and me? I'm starving and I'm sure you'd enjoy some time off from all the drama…" he tried to explain his suggestion, not wanting it to sound inappropriate with him dating her best friend.

Much to Owen's delight, Brooke gratefully nodded and replied, "Yeah, that would be great, Owen."

"Good…" he lightly said, "because Rachel would kick my butt if she knew that I found you and didn't make sure you are well-fed…" he joked, knowing how much Brooke hated the way that Rachel was keeping an eye on her eating habits ever since her second attack, almost as if she was a baby.

"We don't want to make mamma Rachel mad, now do we?" Brooke teased back with a mixture of entertainment and annoyance, causing Owen to chuckle.

"I certainly don't… That girl is _scary_ when she's mad!" he honestly said, causing Brooke to erupt into a fit of giggles.

"She's just got you wrapped around her little finger, Owen, that's all…" she pointed out, causing Owen's cheeks to redden as he guiltily smiled.

"That she does…" he admitted, smiling distantly as he thought about the fiery redhead he had been dating for the past few weeks.

"It's kinda cute…" Brooke teased Owen, causing him to groan with embarrassment, "No really- I'm happy for you guys…" she honestly told him, causing Owen to smile at her gratefully.

"Thanks, Brooke. I really appreciate how graceful you've been about this" he sincerely said, knowing that the kindness and support that Brooke had shown him and Rachel was not to be taken for granted, considering the budding relationship that he and Brooke had had. Brooke, however, simply shrugged as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I already told you, Owen- I love Rae and you're a great guy, so there's no reason for me to be anything but happy for you…" she casually said, putting a smile on Owen's face as he mused over the kindness of Brooke Davis' heart.

It was silent in the car again, but this time- it was not an awkward silence, but actually a comfortable one, as Owen and Brooke each drifted into personal thoughts of their own.

"By the way" Brooke finally broke the silence, smiling at Owen with a suspiciously wide smile, "Shouldn't you call Rachel and tell her that I'm with you? You said that everyone was looking for me back in Tree Hill…" she reminded him, once again laughing wholeheartedly as she noticed Owen's eyes widening in alarm.

"Damn right they are! Oh man, Rachel's gonna kill me…" he knowingly grumbled as he began dialing Rachel's cell-phone number, preparing himself for the fit of anger that would surely be unleashed upon him once the fierce redhead would be informed that she had been looking for Brooke for no reason for the past thirty minutes and that Owen wasn't even bringing her back home right away. However, as Brooke's laughter only grew louder and as she teasingly told him that he was completely whipped, he couldn't help but join the laughter and know that it was worth it, for he had put a smile on Brooke's face, for he had helped take her mind off of her pain, for he had finally, for once, done something right regarding Brooke Davis…

* * *

Lunch had gone extremely well, as did the rest of the day, which Brooke spent with Owen out of town. Despite the fact that Rachel was furious in the beginning, after Brooke had spoken with her and assured her that she was fine, that she 'was not trying to steal her boyfriend' and that she just needed to get away for a bit, the redhead finally realized that she was actually the one who had caused Brooke to run away by trying to take care of her too much, and therefore honestly told the both that she hoped they would have a nice day and that she would see them later on. From then on, the day went so smoothly that Brooke had actually forgotten about all the heartache and stress she had been going through. It amazed Owen so much to see how something as simple as a day trip away from Tree Hill had managed to lift Brooke's spirits up like nothing else had for the past few weeks, that he silently swore that he and Rachel will make time to take Brooke out much more often. Pondering over this thought, Owen couldn't help but smile to himself, as only several months earlier, he had fled away from Brooke because committing seemed like a frightening idea to him, whereas now he was practically living in her house, was seriously dating her best friend and had to admit that she and Rachel had become permanent features in his life- Rachel, as the closest thing to a girlfriend he had ever had and Brooke, as an amazing friend he appreciated and dearly cared for. Owen realized that this could only mean one thing- he was finally growing up and getting over his fear of committing to another being.

"I had a great time today, Owen. Thanks for everything…" Brooke broke the silence in the car and said, knowing that they were about to reach the house within several minutes and wanting to make sure that she thanked Owen for the calming, fun day they just shared before they got there. It had actually pleasantly surprised her that she enjoyed herself with Owen so much, as none of her closer friends had managed to make her feel as carefree as he had managed to do. In a way, this day proved to her that she was right all along about what a great guy he was and that she had done the right thing by letting him into Rachel's life.

"It's nothing, Brooke. I enjoyed today too" he replied, giving her a genuine smile before averting his eyes back to the road.

"Well, I'm really glad that you decided to wait before proving to me that you're the man I knew you are and not some jerk…" Brooke smirked and jokingly said, giggling as she saw the way Owen was fighting to keep a hurt, straight face instead of laughing along with her.

"Hey!" he protested, only causing her to laugh louder, "I thought we were over the fact that I acted like an idiot back then. Why would you say that to me?" he questioned, only half-jokingly, yet lost any trace of hurt as he heard Brooke's reply.

"Well, I just might have kept you all to myself, and I don't think Rachel would have been happy about that…" she told him with a wink, causing him to blush slightly.

"I don't think Lucas would have been happy about that either…" he replied before thinking and immediately mentally kicked himself for slipping up like that, as Brooke's flirty, cheerful self evaporated before his eyes as a somber expression filled her face.

"I sorry, Brooke- I didn't mean to-"

"I know you didn't, it's O.K…." Brooke tried to brush the matter off, quickly rebuilding her composed façade, yet Owen could easily see through it and silently cursed himself for reminding Brooke of her broken heart.

"Look, for what it's worth- I have a feeling that it's not the end for you and Lucas" Owen surprised her by saying. True, he was trying to cheer her up, but he was also actually speaking his honest opinion, "I know that you two have a lot to work on, but I've seen the way he looks at you, Brooke. The guy can be a knucklehead at times, but he obviously truly loves you, so I don't think he hurt you on purpose…" Owen offered his comforting thoughts, putting a sad smile on Brooke's face.

"Yeah…" she distantly, absent-mindedly replied, not bothering to tell him that Lucas' intentions didn't really matter when her heart hurt so much that it felt like it had literally been broken.

The duo remained silent for the last five minutes of the drive, having gone back to the awkward silence they had started the day with. While Brooke could no longer avoid thinking about Lucas, Owen was busy trying to come up with a way to go back to the light and casual atmosphere they had maintained until he had stupidly ruined it all. In the end, however, he decided that anything he would say might just make matters worse, so he decided to keep quiet and just let Brooke be.

As he pulled over in Brooke's driveway and parked the car, Owen suddenly noticed how pale Brooke seemed to be. "Brooke?" he confusedly called out her name, wondering what was wrong with her, and followed her intent gaze once she failed to respond, only to realize that apart from Rachel, who had come out of the house to greet them- Nathan, Haley and Jamie were also present.

"Do you need me to ask them to go home?" Owen softly asked her, having noticed how much Brooke needed the space he had been giving her throughout the day.

"No, don't be silly" Brooke quietly replied, obviously already beginning to feel suffocated with the intense gazes her friends were giving her, but reluctant to hurt her friends' feelings despite her discomfort, "As long as Lucas and Peyton aren't there, I'll be fine" she added with a forced smile before opening the car's door and stepping outside to approach her friends, with Owen following several steps behind her.

"Hi guys" she softly greeted her friends, forcing herself to smile as believably as she could due to her beloved godson's presence, "I'm really sorry I went M.I.A. today…" she added, trying to sound light and casual, but not managing to erase the worried expressions off of her friends' faces.

"Are you O.K.?" Rachel couldn't help but ask, restraining herself from bombarding Brooke with more worried questions when the brunette assured her that Owen took good care of her, as she knew she had considerably contributed to Brooke's need to escape with the intense kind of care she couldn't help but show Brooke.

"Listen, Brooke- I'm sorry we overwhelmed you this morning" Nathan joined the conversation with a genuine apology, causing Brooke to nod acceptingly, "We just wanted to see that you were alright, but we can go if you need your space now" he suggested, realizing that they might be once again coming onto Brooke too intensely by all insisting to be there as she returned home.

"No, come in… I've missed my Jimmy-Jam" Brooke smiled as widely as she possibly could and opened her arms for her godson, lifting him up moments later, when he flung himself into her embrace. To be honest, all she did want was to be left alone for a while, but she knew she needed to show her worried godson that she was alright, and Owen had provided her with enough space and air to enable her to pretend that she was fine at least for a bit. As they all stepped inside and Jamie excitedly told Brooke about the day he had had, Brooke couldn't help but smile and lovingly kiss his temple. Her love for the young boy was currently keeping her strong, but she just knew that once nighttime would come and she would finally be given time to think about all the confusing things Lucas had told her that day- she would only remember how much the child who owned such a large part of her heart reminded her of his uncle- the man who probably owned the rest of her heart, and she was willing to bet that once those thoughts would dawn upon her- she would be anything but strong, she would be a crying mess. And boy, was she right on…

* * *

It was less awkward than she feared it would be; she and Lucas had actually been working on alterations for quite some time, and she had managed to stay focused on her work and refrain from letting her emotions get the better of her. When morning had come and she had realized that Lucas would be coming soon, Brooke had actually been dreading it, and for the first several moments, it had indeed been uncomfortable, but when they fell into a routine of work, Brooke had almost forgotten that the patient man whose pants she was measuring and fixing was actually the one whose actions had caused her to spend yet another night crying her eyes out. It wasn't until she briefly glanced up at him and noticed how intently he was staring at her, that the tension in the air was back.

"What? What's wrong?" she cleared her throat and uncomfortably asked, "Do you need a break or something?" she questioned, suddenly realizing how long he had been dutifully standing and allowing her to work uninterruptedly.

"I, uh, I need to talk to you for a minute, Brooke" he told her, his emotion-filled ocean-colored eyes clarifying to her that whatever he wanted to talk to her most certainly wasn't work-related.

"Lucas…" she began protesting uneasily, not ready to talk about everything that was going on with the way all the information she had learned the previous day was still swimming through her head in circles, yet Lucas was determined to have her hear him out.

"Please, I just want to show you something for one minute…" he said, looking at her with those mesmerizing eyes to which she couldn't refuse, even though she was miserably hurt by him.

"Fine" she reluctantly agreed, just wanting to get it over with. She began regretting having agreed to his request, however, when Lucas pulled her aside and began digging through the pockets of the pants he had worn when he came over to her house that morning. As he finally found what he had been looking for and pulled out a small, velvet box, Brooke's eyes widened in alarm and her heart started thumping in her chest wildly.

"Please tell me you're not about to propose to me" she begged him, already beginning to sound panicked. She was confused enough as it is and really didn't know how she felt about what happened between Lucas and Peyton in Vegas, so having Lucas pull off yet another inappropriately grand gesture like that would simply be too much for her to take.

Much to Brooke's relief, however, Lucas was quick to shake his head and assure her, "I'm not proposing, Brooke, I just want to show you something" he promised, causing Brooke's heart to settle down a bit, though not completely. She nervously stared at the box in Lucas' hands as he opened it and revealed the familiar ring that was safely kept inside and her nerves were once again taking over her as she wondered what Lucas was trying to say to her with his mysterious actions.

"Why are you showing this to me, Lucas?" she asked confusedly, lifting her eyes from the ring and up to Lucas' eyes in search for an answer.

"Do you know what this is, Brooke?" he responded with a question of his own, softly and calmly speaking in order to ease the tension that was radiating off of Brooke.

"It's the ring Keith gave your mom" she knowingly replied, knowing how much that simple yet beautiful piece of jewelry meant to Lucas with his dear uncle gone, but having a hard time comprehending why he would show it to her all of a sudden.

"It's the ring I've always known I would propose with to the girl I want to spend the rest of my life with" he nodded to her response, but added an additional meaning to the small object in his hand, causing Brooke's face to contort with confusion.

"Lucas, I don't understand what you're trying to say" she told him, puzzled and nervous about where he was trying to take this. Sure, he had promised her that he wasn't trying to propose to her, but everything else he was saying and doing made it seem like that was exactly what he was doing.

"I never gave this ring to Peyton" he said, causing Brooke's eyes to widen with understanding, "When my mom gave me this ring back in high school, I think I already knew who I wanted to give it to someday, and it was never Peyton" he honestly confessed, letting his words linger in the air for a bit longer before excusing himself and walking outside to get a breath of fresh air, leaving Brooke behind, her body paralyzed in shock due to the huge meaning behind his confession- for Lucas, she was the one…

* * *

**AN: I know that this chapter might have been less dynamic than usually, but I hope that you'll agree with me that Lucas made some meaningful progress towards proving to Brooke that she was the one for him. I already have everything lined up for the rest of this story (don't worry- it's nowhere near the end yet...) and I have to tell you that some really major drama and twists are about to come up really, really soon! ;-) As always- I'd love it if you'd review and share your thoughts with me!**


	35. Chapter 35

**Hi guys! I finally managed to get back to the quick updating speed that I used to have! I'm still busy with projects and tests, but the stress is lessening and your reviews were so awesome that I was just super motivated to give you some good drama, which as I promised- will be already appearing in this chapter! So, I hope you enjoy this! ;-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 35**

He was staring at her, she could feel it. Those piercing blue orbs of his, which could slice the air like a knife with their gaze at times, were currently focused directly at her, yet she refrained from meeting them with her own soulful hazel eyes and chose to focus solely on her work. Ever since Lucas had returned to the room after bearing out his soul and telling her the truth about Keith's ring, Brooke could feel his eyes following her every move and trying to read her and interpret how his revelation had affected her, but she simply could not return his gaze, too overcome with mixed emotions to be able to think coherently. Her avoidance of his gaze made the atmosphere in the room extremely awkward, but Brooke knew that looking at Lucas' hypnotizing eyes would only further confuse her. She wanted to believe him that she had always been the one for him- she really did- but he had just burned her too many times in the past for her to be able to let her guard down so easily. It wasn't that she was testing him, she was just too scared to listen to her heart, after it had led her to be utterly devastated so many times before.

Brooke's thoughts were suddenly interrupted when her house phone rang, forcing her to avert her gaze from the garments in her hands to the ringing device that Lucas was conveniently sitting right next to. Both she and Lucas reached for it at the same time, and even though Brooke had managed to grab it before Lucas, his hand inevitably brushed against her small palm, sending shivers down her spine. She inhaled sharply, forcing herself to regain her composed façade, and then quickly brought the phone to her ear.

"Hello?" she said, seeing Lucas stare at her from the corner of her eyes, yet forcing herself to keep her eyes directed forwards, away from the temptation of his mesmerizing eyes.

"How are you doing, Brooke? This is Bob" the person on the other side of the line identified himself. His kind, friendly tone put a small smile on Brooke's face, but she felt herself growing anxious as she began wondering what the reason for his call was. Her anxiety only increased as she remembered telling Bob that she didn't want to know anything about the case, unless anything new would be revealed or unless he would actually manage to have solid evidence that could crack the case altogether.

"I'm doing alright, Bob. How about you?" despite her uneasiness, Brooke managed to politely reply. However, when she felt Lucas tensing up by her side in response to hearing Bob's name, she felt herself growing more and more nervous and could only hope that her voice wouldn't start betraying her now.

"Quite alright" Bob answered lightly, yet Brooke could already hear a hidden tone in the back of his voice that told her he hadn't called just for the small-talk. "Listen, Brooke, I was wondering if you might be able to swing by right now, so we could talk about something…" surely enough, Brooke's suspicions were instantly confirmed with Bob's words, causing her to slightly shudder as possibilities of what he wanted to talk to her about started flooding her head.

"I-Is everything alright?" she nervously replied, trying to keep her voice stable, yet still slightly stuttering due to her rising anxiety. She could see Lucas' gaze, which was still directed straight at her, intensifying with concern, yet she chose to ignore him and keep her focus on her conversation with Bob.

"Yes, everything is fine, Brooke- don't get yourself worked up" Bob was quick to say, as he could already sense the fear and concern, which invaded Brooke's raspy voice, "I just had some kind of lead and I need to ask you questions about it…" he explained, helping Brooke settle down slightly, as she was already beginning to fear that her attacker might have escaped or something like that.

"Oh, well- yeah… Yeah, I can come over" she found her voice and said, catching Lucas frowning at her as she spoke and successfully avoiding his questioning gaze until she finished the conversation and hung up the phone. She began to rise to her feet and walk away from Lucas, hoping to avoid him, yet his hand gently gripped her wrist and brought her back to him.

"What's going on, Brooke?" he gently questioned her. She foolishly looked up at him and was, as always, unable to walk away once her eyes met his emotion-filled orbs, which were staring at her with sheer care and concern.

"I don't know… Bob wants me to come over, so we can talk" she honestly replied, shrugging in an attempt to brush the matter off, yet by doing so- showing Lucas exactly how nervous and insecure she was feeling.

"Hey… Are you O.K.?" he asked her softly, his fingers unconsciously beginning to draw small circles on Brooke's delicate wrist. He hadn't even realized what he was doing, but Brooke certainly did and abruptly drew her hand out of his grasp in response.

"I'm fine, I'm just going to find Rachel, so we can go" she hastily replied, wishing she could ask Lucas to come with her, but knowing that even though his presence would always help her feel safer, it currently also made her feel confused and nervous, and therefore preferred to have her redheaded friend with her instead.

"Why don't I come with you, Brooke?" Lucas kindly offered, already noticing how jittery Brooke was becoming, even though she was obviously trying to disguise her discomfort.

"No, Rachel will come with me, I just need to find my car-keys" Brooke edgily replied, digging through her purse in search for her keys in a frantic manner, convincing Lucas more and more that she was in no state to be driving. He was just about to comment to Brooke that she should probably calm down before she left the house when Rachel entered the room, looking at Brooke quizzically.

"Where are we going?" she asked her friend, having heard the end of her sentence and witnessing the distraught state she was in.

"To the police station. Bob wants to talk" Brooke absent-mindedly replied, still in the midst of her frazzled search for her car-keys, managing to clarify to Rachel why she seemed to be so edgy. "Damn it! Where did I put those stupid keys?" she frustratedly exclaimed, causing both Rachel and Lucas to look at her compassionately, both of them imagining how tough it must be for her to be reminded of having been attacked over and over again.

"Honey, they're in your hand…" Rachel softly informed Brooke, giving the flustered brunette a small smile after she looked at her palm and found out that she was indeed clutching onto the keys already.

"Sweetie, why don't you sit down and I'll get you some water before we leave…" Rachel offered as she took in the way that Brooke just stood there, clutching tightly onto the car-key and looking so miserably lost. Brooke opened her mouth to reply when suddenly there was a knock on the door, causing the already-edgy brunette to flinch in surprise. Both Lucas and Rachel caught onto that, so while Rachel went to open the door, Lucas came up to Brooke and gently looped his arm around her waist.

"Why don't you sit down, Brooke" Lucas softly suggested as he began guiding her towards the sofa. He knew that Brooke had expressed her discomfort with him being so close to her with the way things were between them, but at the moment, his protective instinct took over, as Brooke looked so pale, he couldn't help but worry about her.

Halting her advancement towards the sofa, Brooke was about to break free from Lucas' grasp and insist that she was fine, when Rachel finally opened the door, causing her to freeze and focus her attention at finding out who had come to her house. When Peyton's form appeared at the doorway, she couldn't help but tense up and simply stare at her motionlessly.

"I see you two are attached by the hip these days…" Peyton's unpleasant sarcastic tone immediately filled the room, causing the atmosphere to become even more awkward than it had been before she opened her mouth. Brooke could feel Lucas tensing up beside her angrily, ready to protect her in front of Peyton, yet instead of feeling thankful, Brooke found herself detaching herself from his grip, despite noticing that her action had only caused Lucas to become angrier and more upset with the situation.

"What are you doing here, bitch?" Rachel immediately retorted, beating Brooke to ask Peyton what she wanted this time.

"I came to talk to Brooke" Peyton informed Rachel, unfazed by her name-calling, and then icily added, "Alone" she said, staring at Rachel and then averting her eyes to Lucas, as if she was telling them to get lost, causing Rachel to frown incredulously.

"Like hell you're gonna do that!" Rachel replied into her face, staring at her with a mixture of fury and disbelief as she dared to ignore the fact that she was no longer welcomed in Brooke's house and casually stepped into the house, as if she still lived there.

"Did you just hear what I said to you? Get out before I remove you out of here myself!" Rachel warned Peyton, having no patience for her games, as she knew that Brooke was stressed enough, even without her.

"What's the matter, Brooke- cat got your tongue?" Peyton taunted Brooke, "I didn't know that you needed other people to handle your fights nowadays…" she mockingly commented, causing both Rachel and Lucas to see red. They were both about to demand that Peyton would leave, yet before they could say a word, Brooke finally responded.

"You know what, Peyton- you really don't deserve this, but if you came all the way over here to talk to me, I'll give you one minute to say whatever it is you have to say, and Lucas and Rachel aren't going anywhere, because this is _my_ house, and _they_ are the ones I actually invited to be in here" Brooke told her, surprising even herself with how calm she managed to sound, considering the turmoil that was going on in her head. When even Peyton stared at Brooke in shock, surprised at how strong and determined Brooke sounded as she told her off, Brooke coldly added, "Your minute starts now, Peyton, so just say what you have to say and leave, because I have somewhere I need to go to" she concluded and then fell silent, causing Rachel to smirk at how effectively her unfazed façade seemed to annoy Peyton.

"You know what, Brooke- you are such a bitch…" Peyton bitterly laughed and commented, causing Brooke to raise her eyebrow in disbelief. She was about to ask Peyton whether that was all she had to tell her when Peyton resumed her speech, sounding more and more disgruntled as she spoke, "I was missing from Tree Hill for weeks, and you most certainly knew that, since I live with you, and despite the fact that you and I have been best friends for years- you did nothing to try to find out what was going on with me and whether I'm alright or not…" she said, causing Brooke's blood to boil with fury. She was about to ask Peyton how dare she make such accusations when they weren't even true, when Peyton continued, speaking words that simply stunned Brooke into silence, "And not only that- when I finally do come home- I find you all over _my fiancé_-"

"I am not your fiancé, Peyton! Why do you keep lying like this?" Lucas angrily exclaimed, not only upset by the fact that Peyton was once again speaking untruthfully, but more by the fact that what she had to say was influencing how Brooke looked at him and was distancing Brooke further away from him. In response to his furious gaze and words, Peyton only continued her angry speech.

"Don't get me started on you, Lucas! You invited me to Vegas and then left me behind there by myself without even checking on me once and making sure that I was alright, even though you saw that I wasn't returning to Tree Hill. Then I find you here- all cuddly and cozy with the girl who I thought was my best friend and roommate" Peyton told Lucas off, afterwards returning her gaze and focus to Brooke, "And you- not only were you as bad as Lucas in this, but when I finally did come back and catch you with Lucas- of course it was no longer convenient for you to live with me with Lucas around- so you threw me out of your house like I was some broken toy you no longer wanted to play with! You didn't even stop to think for once about how your selfish actions made me feel! You were so busy being full of yourself that you didn't even spend one moment caring about your 'best friend' and checking if I was alright, because, news flash- I wasn't! I needed you and you weren't there!" Peyton concluded her rant, staring at Brooke angrily. She was met with a stunned expression at first, yet after several moments, Brooke managed to open her mouth and speak, and she was much more furious than anything else.

"You know what, Peyton, I don't know whether to laugh or to cry right now…" she quietly said, her tone carrying her immense fury, as soft as it was, "I think I'm seeing the real you for the first time right now, and you are so self-centered that I don't know how I ever thought of you as my best friend…" Brooke told her, not raising her voice, yet sounding as serious and mad as could be. "First of all, I _did_ try calling you, quite a few times. I was actually in Las Vegas one of those times and imagine my shock when I saw you before my eyes, dismissing my phone call like you never cared about me at all…" Brooke heatedly said, causing Peyton's eyes to widen in shock as she realized that Lucas hadn't lied to her when he had told her that he had seen Brooke in Las Vegas, and that maybe Brooke did have something of great importance to talk to her about.

Peyton opened her mouth to reply, but Brooke cut her to it, as she was nowhere near done talking, now that Peyton had brought the matter up, "And you certainly proved to me that you really didn't ever care about me when you never returned any of my calls to this date! Did it ever occur to you that maybe _I _needed _you_, Peyton?" Brooke heatedly questioned, not waiting for more than a moment before she continued her speech, "Because I did! _I_ needed my best friend, Peyton, and you most certainly weren't there! This was the one time I really couldn't focus on anybody else's problems, because I had enough to deal with regarding my own life, so don't you dare call me selfish when you're the one who apparently doesn't care about anyone else other than herself!" Brooke exclaimed, having worked herself up so much that she was actually shaking.

Noticing her friend's apparent upset state, Rachel walked up to her and put a hand on her shoulder, "Brooke, why don't you go wait in the car for me. I'll join you in a minute…" she suggested, not wanting Brooke to distress herself even more. Brooke nodded in agreement, and was about to follow Rachel's proposal and leave the room when Peyton's voice caused her legs to become rooted to the ground.

"What on earth could be so dramatic about your life that you need to retreat back to your slutty high-school self and be all over Lucas every time I see you two?" Peyton bitterly questioned Brooke. It was obvious from her tone that she was already starting to feel bad with the way she had handled her friendship with Brooke lately, and just didn't know how to apologize or take everything she had said back, yet the way she had let out her jumbled-up emotions stung Brooke even more than everything she had thrown in her face so far, because Peyton was comparing her to a past version of herself she wasn't proud of at all, yet thought that Peyton was the only one who had actually truly accepted for who she had been back then. When Rachel saw the tears pricking in Brooke's eyes, she was about to let Peyton have it for real, as she had vowed to prevent anyone from making her friend as hurt as she had seen her on the days after her attacks, yet before she could say a word, Brooke's raspy, hurt voice shakily filled the room.

"I don't know who's the bigger idiot, Peyton- me, for trusting you and being there for you all these years, or you- for throwing away all those years of friendship we had…" Brooke said, her put together façade crumbling before Peyton's eyes as tears filled her soulful hazel eyes. She could see Peyton's face filling with regret as she witnessed her falling apart, but it was too late to be sorry, as she had already crossed the line and hurt Brooke beyond repair. Blinking back her tears, Brooke added in an upset tone, "You don't deserve an answer to your question, and I don't know why, but I'll give you one anyway… The reason Lucas and I have gotten closer is the same reason I needed support from my best friend, who unfortunately chose not to be there for me; I've been attacked while you were gone. Twice. And maybe it makes me weak, but for once- I couldn't go through that alone, so Lucas, along with Haley, Nathan and Rachel, has been there for me, just like you should have been" Brooke said, her raspy voice cracking every now and then, proving to all those present how hurt she was by Peyton's words and lack of support.

"Brooke…" Peyton exclaimed in a mortified tone, so embarrassed with herself and horrified to learn the truth about what Brooke had been going through these past few weeks that she felt like the worst person in the world. She began advancing towards Brooke, wanting to beg for forgiveness, yet Brooke shook her head vigorously and began backing away, signaling to Peyton that she was too late, that sorry wouldn't cut it this time.

"Rachel, I'll be waiting for you in the car" Brooke mumbled, obviously fighting to refrain from falling apart completely, "and Peyton- you're no longer welcomed in my house, so I want you to be gone by the time I come back" she informed her, turning around and quickly leaving the room before Peyton could see the tears that were already escaping through her eyes.

As she exited the room, Brooke could hear Rachel telling Peyton to be grateful that they were in a hurry, for she would have made her regret hurting her otherwise. Brooke knew that she should have grabbed Rachel along with her as she left the house, to prevent a fight from erupting, but she was simply too hurt and overcome with sadness to do anything other than just flee towards her car and let her tears roll freely down her cheeks. She stepped into the passenger's side and closed the door after her, closing her eyes and letting more tears pour down her cheeks. It simply hurt her like hell to realize that for all these years, she had been willing to give her own happiness up for a girl that seemingly couldn't care less about her and that had looked at the fake persona she had sold the world as "high school Brooke Davis" with as much disrespect as all her peers, who didn't know her for who she truly was.

Trying to regain her calm for the sake of her meeting with Bob, Brooke turned the car on from her position in the passenger's seat, closed her eyes and took several calming breaths as she waited for Rachel to enter the car so they could go. Soon enough, the driver's side's door opened and a feminine form slipped into the driver's seat, buckling up and slowly beginning to slide out of the driveway. Brooke kept her eyes closed for several more moments, taking calming breaths and brushing the tears off of her cheeks as she tried to get past her upsetting encounter with Peyton. When the car remained silent, however, Brooke realized that she needed to assure Rachel that she was fine, for the redhead would only seldom be so quiet, and her silence usually meant that she was deeply concerned about Brooke and trying to assess what the best way to help lift her spirits up would be.

"Rache, I'm fine… You don't need to worry about me all the time…" Brooke insisted, her face still buried in her hands as the car was finally out of the driveway. When she heard no response, Brooke finally averted her gaze towards the driver's seat, hoping to convince Rachel with her gaze, which could always carry so much meaning in it, yet gasped in utter shock when she realized that the female driver that had slipped into the car and that was currently starting to drive her away from her house most certainly was _not_ Rachel.

"What are you doing here?" Brooke fearfully questioned, starting to panic as the car began picking up speed and distancing her from the people who could protect her.

"Let me out of the car!" Brooke demanded as she was met with silence, as she truly began to fear for her life.

"Calm down, Brooke. I just want to talk to you" the woman said, her voice actually trying to sound as calming as she possibly could, yet her words of assurance did nothing to settle Brooke's nerves.

"Stop the car! I want to get out!" Brooke frantically insisted, looking through the window with frightened eyes, as if begging her friends to somehow magically manage to stop the driving vehicle and rescue her from it. As she desperately looked out of the car, she suddenly spotted Lucas racing after them, frantically trying to catch up with them and help her out.

"Lucas!" she yelled out to him, knowing that he couldn't hear her, yet being under so much stress that she couldn't process that thought appropriately. She was almost considering opening the car's door and jumping out of the moving automobile, but even with her judgment completely hazy due to her high stress level, she knew that the car was moving too fast for her to be able to survive that action without becoming severely injured. Therefore, the only thing possible for her to do at the moment was to look at Lucas with absolutely terrified eyes and watch him helplessly as he vanished from her view as the car picked up its speed, moving too quickly for him to be able to keep up with, and leaving Brooke alone with her worst nightmare, as she drove her to the unknown…

* * *

**AN: Yeah, I know- you officially have a huge reason to hate me, because I left not one, but multiple cliffhangers this time, but I promise that next time you'll find out who is in the car, whether Brooke's friends will manage to help her out, and will at least sort of find out what Bob wants to talk to Brooke about. Anyway- you certainly can help me update sooner if you guys review, because I swear that every review I get makes me want to focus on writing this story. So I'd really love to hear thoughts from all of you, and once again- thanks to everyone who has been supportive of me and of this story so far! ;-)**


	36. Chapter 36

**Hi guys! As you can see- I'm really doing my best to give you more frequent updates lately, despite all of the exams I've been having, as your feedback has been simply amazing! I genuinely want to thank all of you for your wonderful support! This chapter certainly includes a fair amount of drama, so I hope you will like it. Hopefully the structure will be clear, as a lot is going on and I've tried my hardest to structure this chapter so that the reader goes back and forth through simultanious actions that Brooke and Lucas are undergoing separately. I know that I've left you with cliffhangers last time, so I won't say anything else other than enjoy, and please share your thoughts with me again! ;-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 36**

Lucas' piercing eyes were wide-open, flashing sheer panic as he stared into the open, empty space before him, trying to catch his breath and straighten his thoughts. His heart was thumping in his chest like crazy, and considering his heart condition- he knew that this couldn't be healthy, but he could currently only think of one thing, which was not his own medical state- Brooke's terrified hazel eyes which pleadingly and fearfully stared at him as her car grew more and more distant. He simply couldn't believe it- his pretty girl was actually kidnapped and he hadn't managed to stop her abductor before she had taken her away from him who knows where.

"Fuck!" Lucas grabbed his head and exclaimed, feeling unbelievably helpless and angered that he hadn't been able to prevent this from happening and that someone dared to once again harm Brooke after all the trauma she had already been through. He kicked the ground as he realized that even if Brooke would be found safe and sound, this would probably be the last straw that would prevent her from being able to keep it together, as there was simply a limit as to how much a single person could take in such a short amount of time.

As Brooke's petrified gaze once again flashed in his mind, Lucas realized that despite the fact that he might have already been too late- he just had to do something in order to try and find Brooke. Therefore, he threw one last glance at the direction into which Brooke's car had gone and then turned around and began running back to Brooke's house, picking up his pace up to the point where it was getting hard for him to breathe.

Upon growing closer to the house, Lucas spotted Rachel angrily pacing in front of the house, muttering curses to herself over the fact that she had allowed Brooke to step out of the house on her own, and right behind her- standing by the front entrance to the house and looking genuinely concerned was Peyton.

"Damn it, Luke, don't tell me that she got away!" Rachel expressed her dismay, already knowing that this was exactly what happened due to the fact that Lucas was racing up to her on his own, but still refusing to believe that Brooke was once again at risk of being harmed. Lucas, however, didn't reply to her as an idea suddenly entered his mind as his eyes locked on the car-keys that Peyton was casually holding in her hand.

"Give me your keys" he urgently instructed, and before Peyton even had a chance to respond, he already took them from her hand and ran to the comet, hopping into it and turning on the engine. He would have taken his own car had he not wanted to waste time by going back into the house to retrieve his own keys, as he knew that currently, every second might count towards his ability to bring Brooke back home safely.

"Hey- what do you think you're doing, Lucas? Get out of my car!" Peyton protested, too shocked to follow Lucas' train of thought and only processing the fact that he was about to take her beloved car away from her.

"You'll get it right back" Lucas muttered to her as he hurriedly swung the car out of the driveway, "Rachel, call Bob and tell him what happened. Have him back me up on finding Brooke ASAP" he managed to tensely instruct before he zoomed away in the car in the direction in which Brooke's kidnapper had taken off, praying in his heart that he wouldn't be too late, that she wouldn't manage to harm Brooke before he could find them…

* * *

Brooke was pale as a ghost. As she silently sat in the passenger's seat and looked straight ahead, not daring to avert her gaze to the woman by her side, she could actually _hear_ her heart beating frantically in her chest. Her eyes were wide open in fear, her entire body was trembling and all she could currently do was focus on taking and letting out sharp, small breaths so she won't faint due to lack of oxygen in her system. She was officially petrified and the saddest part in the entire situation was that the woman she was so scared of was actually her own mother, who was currently continuing to wordlessly drive her car to the unknown.

"Don't look so scared, Brooke. I already told you that I'm not going to hurt you" Victoria suddenly broke the silence and Brooke could feel shivers going up her spine as she noticed from the corner of her eye that Victoria was actually looking at her with what appeared to be real concern.

"What do you want?" Brooke managed to stiffly and fearfully question, her eyes still focused directly ahead.

"I already told you- I want to talk to you. I know that this was a drastic measure, but I can't seem to get past your army of bodyguards any other way these days…" Victoria simply said, the uncharacteristic traces of humor and apologetic tone in her voice alarming Brooke even more.

"I don't want to talk to you. I want you to take me back home" Brooke firmly insisted, the panicked edge to her voice making Victoria realize that her daughter wasn't being stubborn, but that she was actually scared out of her mind with the way she had abducted her from her house.

"Brooke, do you honestly believe that I could have hired someone to hurt you? I know that we had our share of differences, but you're still my daughter…" Victoria commented, her tone sounding as caring as her icy personality could allow, yet Brooke wasn't convinced.

"After you personally kidnapped me from my house like this I'm more convinced that it was you than I ever was…" Brooke honestly replied, and could actually notice a disheartened expression filling Victoria's face from the corner of her eye.

"I'll park the car if you promise to sit down for a talk and not run away. Would that convince you otherwise?" Victoria challenged, seeing her daughter's adamancy to budge from her opinion. When Brooke remained silent and didn't seem to be responding to the offer, Victoria simply shrugged, "Fine, we'll have it your way- I'll keep driving and you'll have no choice but to listen to me…" she said, causing Brooke's eyes to fill with tears as she frustratedly acknowledged the helpless position she was being put in.

"Why are you doing this?" Brooke asked in an crushed tone, her lips quivering as more tears filled her eyes and began spilling down her cheeks, "My life has been an absolute hell for the past few weeks because of the attacks and because you insisted on taking away my company- the one thing that could have kept me sane, and now that I'm finally stronger you're trying to break me apart all over again!" Brooke couldn't help but cry, furious that her mother had managed to get to her once again and put her in a situation in which she couldn't control her fate. "I just have one question for you- why do you hate me so much? You brought me into this world, so what have I done that was so bad for you to want to hurt me like this?" she asked in a wounded, pain-filled tone that soon cracked as an uncontrollable sob escaped her lips and rippled through the air.

"But I _don't_ hate you, Brooke. I know that I may not have been the perfect motherly figure, but I would never want to see you hurt and I'm truly trying to understand what it is that I've done for you to believe otherwise and treat me with such distrust…" Victoria told her, sounding truly honest, yet only causing Brooke to scuff.

"How about the fact that you were never there for me in high school? I actually had a pregnancy scare back in junior year- did you know that? And in senior year- after Peyton and I were attacked by that psycho, I hadn't been able to sleep properly for about six months- but I don't remember receiving even one call from you to check if I was alright…" Brooke brokenheartedly said, finally being able to let out everything that had been burdening her for years regarding her relationship with her mother.

"Brooke…" Victoria began to say, truly sounding remorseful, yet Brooke cut into her speech, as she couldn't stop now, when the wounds from her past were finally opened up for her mother to see.

"I had called you back then one night, when I was too scared to sleep, just to talk to you, and you called me a baby. You said that I'll never make it in the real world if I couldn't learn to suck it up…" Brooke reminded her in a hurt tone, causing Victoria to swallow slowly, seemingly in shame. "And then, when I actually seemed to be making it in the real world on my own with my company- suddenly you were right there, interested in me for the first time in my life! I knew that it was wrong, but I wanted you to love me so much, that I didn't care… I thought that this was a chance for us to bond, but now I realize that this was simply an investment you were interested in, and I was just a part of the package" Brooke soberly said, causing Victoria to shake her head.

"That's not true, Brooke" she quietly told her, yet Brooke only shook her head in disbelief.

"Really- then why would you tell me that I was too stupid to run the company on my own? Huh?" Brooke heatedly questioned, getting truly worked up, "Why would you try to take away the company that I have built away from me? And why would you hire someone to physically harm me when nothing else worked out?" Brooke's voice cracked in the end, as her emotions got the best of her, choking her up and leaving her unable to hold her tears back.

As she struggled to control her pain, only to let out a few uncontrollable sobs in the process, Brooke was surprised to be met with silence from her mother's side. She briefly glanced over at Victoria, only to see her staring at the road with a stoic gaze, which once again implanted fear in her heart. Her feeling of terror only increased as Victoria signaled and went off the main road, starting to slow down her driving pace and making Brooke believe that this was going to be it- that now that she had uncovered the truth behind the attacks and showed Victoria that she had enough solid facts to indicate that she was to blame- Victoria might actually be planning to finish the job and to kill her.

As Victoria slowed down the car's speed upon driving into a neighborhood that Brooke didn't know, the younger brunette's heart once again began thumping in her chest wildly. She frantically looked around, trying to assess her surroundings and see whether she could spot any large men waiting for them anywhere in sight, as she knew that Victoria wouldn't dirty her own hands in attacking her and wanted to be prepared to be ambushed this time, if Victoria was indeed planning to have her hurt severely. When the car came to a complete stop and no potential attackers were in sight, Brooke rushed to unbuckle her seatbelt, knowing that she might have to act quickly if she wanted a chance to escape unharmed. Just as she was about to open the door, however, she could feel Victoria's hand gripping her wrist and turning her to her, causing her to gasp and freeze in her spot with terror. Even when she noticed how Victoria's hazel eyes seemed to be glazed over, the extreme fear that overtook her didn't subside, as she knew that this rare display of emotions might very well result from Victoria's sorrow about what she might be about to do to her only daughter before her eyes. Brooke's head was screaming at her to get up and run while she still could, but her body was simply paralyzed due to her fear, causing her to be unable to breathe properly, let alone move in any other way. With tears streaming down her face rapidly, Brooke could currently only reluctantly listen to Victoria, as she began talking, and pray in her heart that her mother would have mercy on her.

"For my entire life- I have been drawn to fashion. I've had a passion for it since I have been a little girl like to nothing else" Victoria began speaking, her shaky tone and tear-filled eyes making Brooke's body start trembling, as she knew that evoking such extreme emotions from her mother could only mean that something truly extreme was about to happen. Her eyes flew back to the houses around them and her heart began constricting in alarm as she noticed a tall figure stepping out of one of the houses farther away from them and beginning to advance their way. She frantically averted her gaze back to her mother, and upon spotting a tear rolling down Victoria's cheek, she just knew that this was it- that Victoria had already determined her fate and was currently giving her one last goodbye speech. Her eyes widened in panic as this realization dawned on her and as the man continued advancing towards them, but her body had seemingly gotten into a catatonic state, which prevented Brooke from doing anything about it, leaving her with the sole ability of listening to her mother's solemn words.

"When I was your age- I dreamed of building a fashion company- but then I met your father and before I knew it- I was pregnant with you…" Victoria told her, a sense of bitterness entering her voice as she spoke about her husband, causing Brooke to understand that she was about to be punished for something that was never her own fault, that she could have never had any control over. As her blurry vision, hazy from all of her tears, once again took in the manly figure that was getting closer and closer to them, she could feel herself starting to hyperventilate with panic and fear. With hysterical sobs wracking her body, Brooke began to rock herself back and forth, simply praying for a miracle to happen and save her, a miracle she believed could never happen as the man reached their car and knocked on her window- signaling to her that her luck might have just come to an end…

* * *

Lucas didn't know which feeling was consuming him more intensely right now- fear or fury. As he drove through the streets of Tree Hill and scanned them thoroughly for any trace of Brooke's car, the blood was beginning to boil in his veins. Numerous terrible scenarios as to what might be currently happening to Brooke filled his mind, making him absolutely furious, as Brooke simply didn't deserve any of this. She had been working so hard on getting back to herself and reinventing _Clothes over Bros'_ and had already been through so much, that she just didn't deserve anything as awful as this to once again happen to her and completely put all the progress she had been making to waste. Moreover, Lucas wasn't quite sure of what Victoria was actually capable of, but the fact that her own daughter strongly believed that it was possible that she had arranged for her to be attacked twice was enough to instill fear inside his heart. As he crossed Brooke's boutique on his way, Lucas' heart constricted in his chest. This place symbolized Brooke's passion, pride and joy, but also the place where Brooke had been when all her dreams were taken away from her. He had watched her trying to rebuild herself and her company, so the store could once again be a source of happiness in her life and was infuriated with the thought that Victoria might have just added the last straw to the emotional load Brooke had been carrying, an act which he feared that could prevent Brooke from ever being able to bring herself to engage herself in fashion.

Lucas was deeply engaged in those troubling thoughts when his cell-phone suddenly rang, causing him to become once again completely alert. Without even glancing down to see who it was- Lucas brought the ringing device to his ear and answered it with a tense "Hello?"- praying in his heart that he would be answered by a safe and sound Brooke.

"Hi Lucas" when Bob's masculine voice was the one to reply to him, Lucas' body sagged in defeat and disappointment. However, when the policeman added- "I've got some news…" Lucas ears perked up again.

"What news? Did you find Brooke? Is she O.K.?" Lucas asked all in one breath, anxiously waiting for Bob to confirm that he no longer had any reason to worry. When Bob replied once again- Lucas learned that not all of his hopes have been fulfilled, but that he did indeed have a good reason to keep up those hopes.

"We don't know exactly how Brooke is doing yet, but we have managed to pinpoint the exact current location of her car. We are on our way to her as we speak, so I'm hoping I'll have some good news pretty soon…" Bob said, managing to lift some weight off of Lucas' chest.

"Tell me where she is. I'm coming too" Lucas demanded, his tone making it clear that he was not about to take no for an answer.

"23rd Bradley Ave." Bob obliged and tersely gave Lucas the information he was anxious to receive, afterwards bidding Lucas goodbye, so he could focus on his current duty to locate Brooke.

Understanding that the destination of his trip was opposite to his current driving direction, Lucas quickly made a u-turn and, upon realizing what a run-down part of town this location was in, Lucas pressed down harder on the gas pedal, praying with all his might that he was about to find Brooke all in one piece…

* * *

Uncontrollable, petrified sobs continued rolling freely out of Brooke's mouth as the rapping on her window grew louder and louder. She couldn't even bring herself to open her tightly shut eyes or control herself enough to snap out of the panicked state she was in to try to find a way out of the situation she was in. Therefore, when a few moments passed and the tapping continued, but nothing else happened, Brooke was starting to wonder what was going on, but was incapable of finding the answer to that on her own at the moment.

"Brooke…" when Victoria's hand lightly touched her shoulder, Brooke woundedly yelped and flinched away from her touch, her sobs only growing louder. As she rocked herself back and forth, trying to get some oxygen into her system in her hysterical state, Brooke could hear Victoria sighing and then shifting. Her heart began pounding even faster than before as Victoria suddenly opened the window on her side, where the man was still present. Her whole body tensed as she braced herself for what was about to come, causing her hyperventilating to worsen, yet she was more shocked than horrified to hear what Victoria had to say to the unknown man.

"Yes, can I help you?" Victoria edgily questioned, annoyance coating her voice and successfully disguising any trace of familiarity Victoria might have had with this person.

"I was just passing by and saw you two standing here. I thought I might check if you needed some help…" the man replied, sounding much older than Brooke thought he would be and certainly not as intimidating as she believed an attacker could possibly be. Even so, she still couldn't calm down enough to lift her eyes and take a good look at the man, for she still believed that he and Victoria might be trying to trick her and then catch her off guard.

"We're doing fine by ourselves, thank you" Victoria tersely and icily retorted, making Brooke suddenly realize that maybe Victoria wasn't familiar with this man, but actually waiting for someone else in this street and trying to drive this man away before he could witness what she wanted to do to her. Realizing that this man might be her last chance to escape unharmed, Brooke forced herself to look up at him, despite the panic that was weighting down her body. When her eyes were met with a creepy looking old man, Brooke's stream of tears only worsened. She knew for a fact that this man couldn't possibly be a hired attacker, due to his age, yet could also tell right away that this was the type of old sleaze that pestered young women in clubs and bars, and due to the fact that he was certainly much larger than she was- she was bound to be harassed if she would chose to leave the car and stay with him.

"What happened that made a gorgeous girl like you cry?" the man asked Brooke with a shady grin, causing her to avert her eyes from him and cry even louder as her suspicions regarding his dubious personality were confirmed, making her understand that she was trapped and that currently- she actually was better off staying in the car with Victoria, away from this pervert, at least until a real attacker would come along.

"That is none of your business, now please leave" Victoria was not asking kindly, but actually demanding, yet the man kept staring at Brooke suggestively, completely ignoring what she was saying. Sighing exasperatedly, Victoria closed Brooke's window with irritation and then turned the engine on and drove away, seeing as this man wasn't planning to stop bothering them if they would stay put.

Glancing at her daughter every now and then, Victoria could tell that Brooke was so panicked and crying so hard that she was barely breathing. "Brooke…" she once again tried talking to her, yet Brooke vigorously shook her head and cried.

"I… wa-nt… t-to… go… ho-me…" she sobbed, begging her mother to put an end to this nightmare and to finally leave her alone. Regardless of the fact that things were currently weird between Lucas and herself, all she wanted at that moment was to throw herself into his arms and feel him envelope her in his protective hug, where she had always felt safe and sheltered. The current uncertainty of the situation, which made her wonder whether she was ever going to see Lucas again, choked Brooke up even more, causing her to kick herself mentally for ever stepping out of her house on her own and allowing Victoria to put her through this nightmare.

"Nothing is going to happen to you…" Victoria told her, yet Brooke shook her head, obviously not believing a word that was coming out of her mother's mouth, thinking that if they would have stayed in that run-down street for a bit longer- all of her worst fears would have probably become a reality.

"Ta-ke… me… t-to… Lu-c-as!" Brooke pleaded with her, already feeling herself growing lightheaded due to the intense emotional state that she was in. When Victoria remained silent, seemingly contemplating what to say or do, Brooke realized that this might be her only chance to talk Victoria out of her plan. "Please!" she desperately begged, her body wracking with frightened sobs as she suddenly noticed how her mother's hands were trembling and how her eyes were once again uncharacteristically glazed over with tears. She understood that something big was indeed about to happen, but she just hoped that it was the fact that she had gotten through to Victoria for the first time in her life, and not that she was still sorrowful about what she was about to do. Closing her eyes, all Brooke could do was pray…

* * *

"I'm almost there, are you with Brooke yet?" Lucas didn't even bother saying hello to Bob when he once again phoned him and cut straight to the chase, too nervous to engage in pleasantries.

"Not exactly… I called to tell you that Brooke's car started moving. We have already passed the location in which the car was previously parked and Brooke is not there, so we're assuming she's still in the car" Bob explained, causing Lucas' anger to skyrocket.

"Damn it! I can't believe that this is happening…" he frustratedly exclaimed. He currently felt so foolish for feeling like everything was going wrong that morning, just because Brooke was angry at him, when now that was the least of his worries. As far as he was concerned at the moment- Brooke could continue being upset at him for another year if it meant that she was going to be alright…

"I know it's aggravating, but we know exactly where they're going, and if you can pull yourself together- you can help us right now…" Bob admitted, causing Lucas to become completely alert and focused in an instant.

"What can I do?" he intently questioned, willing to do everything he possibly could in order to help find Brooke.

"The car is heading back towards downtown Tree Hill. We are tailing behind it and since you are pretty close to them from the other direction, you could help us corner the car if you turn to Newton Road and keep going straight until you see it…" Bob instructed, causing Lucas to feel his heart filling with hope, "I wouldn't ask you to do this if-"

"No- thank you, Bob… I would be going crazy if I had to be left out of this…" Lucas genuinely expressed his gratitude, knowing that Bob was certainly bending the rules by allowing a civilian to assist in a police car chase, and truly appreciating the fact that he was given a chance to help. The two quickly hung up as Lucas turned into the street that Bob had instructed him to turn to. He truly couldn't believe his eyes when, only a couple of minutes later - he could already spot Brooke's car approaching him from the opposite direction, soon to be followed by a police car that was quickly trailing behind it. Not wanting to be too obvious, Lucas continued driving forward normally, waiting to get closer to Brooke's car so he could make his big move…

* * *

If Brooke wouldn't have been crying so hard, it would have been silent in the car, yet Brooke could see the turmoil of emotions written across her mother's face, and it simply terrified her. She had never seen her mother display anything close to this much emotion, and while the innocent, little girl inside of her hoped that this meant that her mother did care about her after all, she had just been burned by her mother too many times for this belief to seem possible to her. Therefore, when Victoria began speaking, Brooke was so nervous and scared that she immediately choked on her sobs and grew completely silent.

"I don't know when you became so scared of me, Brooke... As I already said- fashion has been a dream of mine for my entire life, but if pursuing this dream means that my own daughter is scared that I'm going to hurt her- it just isn't worth it anymore…" Victoria shakily said, and Brooke was so shocked and confused that she actually forgot to breathe. She knew that this was probably yet another stunt Victoria was trying to pull off in order to shake off her responsibility for the attacks, yet something in Victoria's voice just sounded so genuine, that Brooke had to wonder if there was even the slightest chance that she could be wrong about her mother.

This thought lingered in her mind when Victoria suddenly gasped and slammed on the breaks, but almost immediately- crashed the car into yet another vehicle, which had been driving in the opposite direction and suddenly dove into their lane out of nowhere. From the impact of the crash, the airbags instantly opened up, pushing Brooke and Victoria flush against their seats and knocking the air out of Brooke's lungs. Her neck and back pulsated with pain due to the force with which she was thrown against her seat, yet as she took in the scene she was forced to face, due to the fact that she was currently trapped between the airbag and her seat- her eyes widened in shock and filled with relief. She truly couldn't believe it, but the car that had slammed into her car was none other than Peyton's comet, and the person driving it was none other than Lucas, who was currently frantically running towards her, causing her to realize that this unexpected crash had actually been a blessing. As a car coming from behind them pulled over and turned on a siren- Brooke understood that the crash was actually planned, and she finally managed to breathe, even if the airbag was currently limiting her, as she realized that her nightmare had just come to an end.

It didn't take more than thirty seconds before Lucas was opening her car's door and releasing her from the inflating bag that was pressing against her. As the policemen came to Victoria's side of the car in order to help her out and immediately afterwards- handcuff her, Lucas pulled Brooke to her feet and practically yanked her into a hug, holding her as tightly to him as he could and embracing her with all his might. He realized how fortunate he was to be able to hold her, touch her and feel her breathe shakily against him, and it just made him feel like he never wanted to let her go again. When Brooke's nails dug into his shoulders, as if she was holding him for dear life, Lucas only tightened his grip on her trembling body.

"I've got you, baby, you're safe… I've got you now…" he mumbled into her ear over and over again as he held onto her with all of his strength, trying to calm both the disturbingly silent girl in his arms and himself as well. He could tell from the moment he had laid eyes on her that Brooke was definitely not alright- that she was not only overwhelmed due to the fact that she had just been in a car accident, but that she had been through something intense emotionally. His eyes glazed over as relief showered her due to the fact that Brooke was right there in the safety of his arms, but also due to the fact that he was beyond worried about the extent of the damage that had obviously been caused to Brooke's already battered soul.

While Lucas was worrying about how Brooke was going to bounce back from yet another traumatic event, Brooke was actually pondering over the same thing. She was officially overwhelmed and didn't even know what to think. All the intense emotions she had experienced truly drained her and now that she was safely tucked inside Lucas' arms, she could allow herself to give in to her drowsiness, lean into him and silently try to collect herself. She felt so many conflicting thoughts attacking her senses that she wondered how it would be possible for her to function in an acceptable manner in front of her board when she only had three days to get herself together. It then suddenly occurred to her that Victoria might have somehow found out about her secret presentation to the board and pulled this entire stunt just to mess with her head and make her fail. Suddenly feeling breathless, Brooke sucked in a sharp breath, immediately causing Lucas to loosen his grip on her body.

"Are you O.K.?" he softly asked her, still refusing to detach her body away from his in any way, even if only to look at her and see her face, as he was still worried that she would be unexpectedly taken away from him if he didn't keep her securely tucked in his embrace, like what happened just now. When Brooke failed to respond, however, and simply trembled in his arms, Lucas reluctantly pulled away from her slightly in order to look at her face, his arms still wrapped tightly around her body.

"Brooke, are you alright?" he questioned again, feeling his heart breaking as he took in how overwhelmed and troubled Brooke seemed to be. When Brooke simply shrugged, her eyes lost in space and her drained body sagging back into his chest, Lucas received an obvious answer to his question- Brooke was certainly _not _alright. She wasn't even close to being alright. Still, needing to know whether he had physically harmed her in any way with the car accident he had been forced to initiate for her sake- Lucas gently touched her cheek with one hand, maintaining a sturdy grip on her body with the other, and gently asked, "Baby girl, does your body hurt anywhere from the accident?", but Brooke just ambiguously shrugged, digging her small fingers into his back again and burying herself inside his chest, making him realize that he needed to help her settle down before he would receive any type of answer to his questions.

"It's alright, baby… It's all O.K. now…" he soothed, feeling tears pricking in his eyes with he could feel small droplets wetting his shirt. He kissed the top of Brooke's head twice as he once again embraced her with both arms, letting her silently try to deal with everything that she had just been through. After what seemed to him like a lifetime, though, Lucas was beginning to grow truly concerned about Brooke's lack of communicativeness. When he realized that it wasn't only that she had yet to utter a sound since he had found her, but that her breaths appeared to be too shallow for his liking, Lucas knew that something needed to be done. He glanced down at the small, traumatized brunette, who was clinging onto him desperately, and gave her head yet another peck. He knew that Brooke was liable to protest, but he was about to wave one of the policemen over and ask them for a ride to the hospital, seeing as all other cars present were somewhat wrecked, so Brooke could be properly checked out by both a doctor and a psychologist, seeing as she was obviously undergoing some sort of breakdown. Before he could initiate anything, however, Bob was already coming their way on his own account, enabling Lucas to keep both of his arms wrapped tightly around Brooke.

"Hey…" Bob quietly greeted them, exchanging concerned gazes with Lucas, who simply nodded at him. "I'm going to wait out here with you two for a few more minutes before another patrol unit will arrive" he simply said, glancing towards the one police car that was present, into which Victoria was being led, clarifying to Lucas why they needed to stay put, as Brooke certainly couldn't sit in the same car with Victoria again after what happened.

"That's definitely a good idea" Lucas agreed, starting to rub Brooke's back with one hand, while holding onto her frail form with the other, as he felt more tears wetting his shirt. Trying to avert his thoughts from the state of the girl, who was currently breaking apart in his arms, so he could stay strong for her, Lucas glanced at Bob and noticed a securely-shut, transparent police bag in his hand, which had a single small item inside.

"What's that?" he curiously asked, nodding his head towards the bag and causing Bob to suddenly look slightly embarrassed.

"Oh… I don't know why I didn't leave this inside the patrol unit…" he admitted, "I was going to talk to Brooke about this, but it's nothing urgent. We can definitely do this on another day…" he calmingly said, not knowing how much of what was going on around her Brooke was actually processing, and not wanting her to grow concerned, if she was actually more alert than she appeared to be. Proving to him that she was indeed at least somewhat attentive towards her surroundings, Brooke weakly turned around in Lucas' arms and tried to focus her spacey gaze on him. Her dull hazel eyes immediately found the bag in question, and much to Lucas and Bob's surprise, as her eyes locked on the small object in the bag- they considerably widened and filled with horror. She stumbled forwards, leaving Lucas' arms for the first time since he had found her, and took a closer look at the object, her eyes widening even more.

"Brooke?" Lucas curiously looked at her, wondering what that seemingly harmless object was and even more than that- why it seemed to capture Brooke's attention so much and elicit such an emotional response out of her. Before he could receive any kind of response to his inquiry, however, Brooke's feet suddenly buckled from underneath her. Acting upon instinct, Lucas quickly reached out and grabbed her, completely horrified to find out that she was passed out and taking comfort only in the fact that from far away, he could already hear the siren of the nearing patrol vehicle, which would be taking Brooke to receive all the help she obviously needed…

* * *

**AN: I honestly hope that this came across as exciting and not as messy with everything that had been going on. I know that I still left some matters hanging in the air, but I promise that things will get clearer as the chapters advance. I would really love it if you would tell me what you thought about this chapter! ;-)**


	37. Chapter 37

**Hi guys! I know that I promised speedy updating, but I went on a two-week vacation and truly couldn't update while I was away. I don't know how this came out, but hopefully you'll all like it. As I promised- this chapter explains what Brooke saw right before she fainted, so without further delays, I'll just let you guys read! Enjoy! ;-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 37**

Lucas felt as though time in the hospital's waiting room was standing still. As his ocean-colored eyes alertly watched the Emergency Room's doors, tensely waiting for a doctor bearing some news regarding the unconscious brunette he had rushed there, he noted that it felt like he had been waiting forever, even though it had actually been only approximately an hour. Burying his head in his hands momentarily, Lucas solemnly prayed that whatever it was that was wrong with Brooke was not serious and was not his fault. He just didn't know how he could ever forgive himself if he would find out that the car-crash he had initiated had caused Brooke to suffer from a concussion, or anything like that.

A gentle tap on his shoulder suddenly jostled Lucas from his brooding daze. He immediately raised his eyes, hoping to be met with an optimistic looking medical persona, but his eyes landed on Rachel's worried face instead.

"Any news?" she tensely asked, edgily shifting from one foot to the other as she waited for Lucas' response. After Lucas shook his head, signaling that he still didn't know anything other than what he had told her when he had called her and asked her to come to the hospital, she slumped into the seat next to him with a sigh, her eyes now trained on the ER's entrance as well.

"I swear- if the doctor comes and says she's not O.K.- I'm seriously gonna kill that bitch…" Rachel venomously muttered, her long-time hatred towards Brooke's mother rising with every passing minute as her concern towards her best friend kept growing.

Even though Lucas wanted to say something comforting to Rachel, there were simply no words of hope he could currently share, as he was worried sick about Brooke as well. Therefore, the two of them simply remained sitting side by side silently as they waited for any information regarding Brooke's condition.

After what seemed to them both like a lifetime, but was actually just short of a half an hour, a middle-aged doctor who calmly walked out of the ER finally approached them after asking who was there for Brooke Davis. As they rose to their feet and walked to meet him halfway- both Lucas and Rachel were somewhat relieved to see that he didn't seem sinister at all, but the two of them still remained somewhat tense, nonetheless, as Brooke had already been through so much, that they knew how unlikely it was that she was alright after this incident.

"How is she, doctor?" Lucas could no longer wait and questioned the doctor right when they stood, face to face. After glancing briefly at his notes, the doctor gave him a small smile before he began explaining the details of Brooke's state.

"Physically- she'll be fine. Her back and neck might feel slightly sore for a few days, but it's nothing to worry about… We were more concerned that she might have hit her head, but we ran some tests and luckily- there's no head trauma whatsoever from the accident" the doctor began sharing the good news, causing Lucas to heave a sigh of relief, as he felt as though a weight had been lifted off of his chest for finding out that he had not led to Brooke's hospitalization in any way. His relief, however, quickly faded and made way for renewed concern as the doctor continued speaking.

"However, what concerns me is Ms. Davis' emotional condition…" the doctor said, causing both of Brooke's friends to nod, as they shared the exact same concern, "I understood from the police officers that she had been through several traumatic events in quite a short amount of time, which is why we assume that she experienced a breakdown today…" he said, causing Lucas to sigh gravely while Rachel shook her head with concern.

"Is she more alert now, or is she still spacey like before?" Lucas asked worriedly, wanting to know what Brooke had been through while he had been restlessly waiting for her in the waiting room.

"Well, we gave her some anti-anxiety medication so she could be more relaxed, so right now she might seem slightly dazed or drowsy, but she's actually more rested this way…" the doctor explained, causing Lucas to nod with understanding. He hated the fact that Brooke was being drugged into a stupor, but he understood that this was the best way to help her at the moment.

"If she's simply resting, can't we just her home?" Rachel questioned, knowing how much more comfortable and relaxed Brooke would probably be outside of a hospital. The doctor, however, gave her a kind smile, but shook his head.

"I'm afraid not. We need to keep her under observation until tomorrow morning. If nothing goes wrong and she has someone to take care of her for a few days, she can then leave" he tried to explain, but only caused Rachel to frown even more.

"Why would she need someone to take care of her? I thought you said that she was fine…" she said, her tone wearing a mixture of confusion and concern. It wasn't that she minded taking care of Brooke- she would agree to that in a heartbeat, but she knew that hearing a doctor recommend that Brooke would be under observation meant that something actually was wrong, and that slightly scared her.

"I said that she was fine physically. Unfortunately, she might need some help with the emotional side…" he tried to explain, only causing Rachel's eyes to widen with even more concern, "Look- after Ms. Davis underwent repeated traumas, it will be mandatory to keep an eye on her. We will continue giving her anti-anxiety medication while she stays here, and would like her to keep taking it regularly for the next two weeks, just to help her get back on her feet. In addition- we strongly recommend therapy. If someone will be able to make sure that she's taking her medication and coming to her therapy sessions- I'm pretty certain that we'll release her tomorrow, but if nobody can look after her at home, it is our duty to-"

"It's fine. We'll take care of everything she needs" Lucas cut the doctor off, unwilling to even hear about the possibility of letting strangers take care of Brooke at the hospital. He knew that both he and Rachel would do anything for Brooke's wellbeing, and that in the hospital- she would be unlikely to get better anyway, as hospitals always seemed to depress her and deprive her of any trace of her natural cheerful character.

"Good" the doctor nodded contentedly and scribbled something in his notes, afterwards lifting his eyes and encouragingly saying, "As I said- Ms. Davis might be somewhat drowsy at the moment, but if you two would like to- you can go see her now…" he offered, smiling upon being met with eager nods and leading the duo over to Brooke's room after receiving their answer.

Once they arrived at Brooke's room, the doctor smiled encouragingly at them and then left Rachel and Lucas at the room's doorstep, needing to tend to other patients. However, instead of entering, the two of them hesitantly peered into the small room, too worried about the state of the girl inside to be able to barge in without preparing themselves for what they were about to see. Upon being met with the sight of Brooke's slender figure lying on her side motionlessly with her back to the door, the duo heaved sighs of relief and entered the room, thinking that their traumatized friend was finally getting some much needed rest. However, as soon as Rachel reached the bed and took a look at her friend's face, her features filled with fury.

"That bitch is _dead_…" she muttered in an upset tone, sounding so angry that Lucas sincerely believed that she was actually capable of severely hurting Victoria if she were to see her. As Rachel took several steps away from Brooke's bed in order to get a grip over herself, she enabled Lucas to step up to Brooke's side and take a look at her, so he could see what Rachel was so upset about. At the moment that his gaze fell on Brooke's face- his eyes darkened as well; Brooke was not exactly resting. In fact, her eyes were actually wide open, but she was just staring ahead with dull, glassy eyes, looking like a drained child, who was miserably trying to fall asleep, but just couldn't.

"Hi baby girl…" he softly cooed, carefully sitting on the edge of the bed and starting to gently stroke her hair. His heart broke as he felt Brooke slightly flinching under his touch at first, and then sagging back into her pillow and maintaining her spacey gaze at the wall.

"Are you feeling any better, Brooke?" he softly asked while his fingers continued gliding through her dark locks, making yet another attempt to reach out to her, yet only receiving a gentle shrug in response. Sighing, he exchanged worried glances with Rachel and then gazed back at Brooke, only to find out that her dull eyes were now slightly glazed over. Unable to decipher whether it was exhaustion or a wave of emotion that was overcoming Brooke, yet realizing that no matter what was the cause- Brooke was not in the condition to be communicative at the moment, Lucas just continued patting Brooke's hair calmingly and soothingly spoke, "Why don't you close your eyes and get some rest, baby? You look exhausted…" he suggested, smiling slightly several minutes later, when Brooke did indeed seem to be giving into her exhaustion, and slowly started falling asleep.

"What the hell did she do to her?" Rachel demanded to know in a hushed tone a few minutes later, when Brooke's chest was already rising and falling in a steady rhythm, clarifying to them that she was indeed asleep. She had done her best to keep herself together for Brooke's sake, but now that Brooke was asleep she could no longer control her anger or her need to know what Victoria had done to her poor daughter this time.

"Honestly- I don't know…" Lucas admitted, "Since I've found her, she's been incapable of talking to me" he sadly said, falling silent for several moments before gravely adding, "Whatever she did- I think that she managed to push Brooke over the edge…"

"Then I'm going to kill her, and then pull Brooke back up" Rachel determinedly replied, causing Lucas to sigh sadly.

"I seriously hope that we can do that this time… Brooke is the strongest woman I know, but there's just so much that one person can take. When I found her in her car, she looked so lost that I'm scared she reached her limit…" Lucas shared his concern with Rachel, causing her to avert her gaze over to her best friend's sleeping form. After staring at her intently for several long moments, she finally sighed.

"This is all my fault…" she guiltily said.

"What? Of course not Rachel-" Lucas began to protest, only to be cut off by the shamefaced redhead before him.

"Don't tell me it isn't, because it is. I should have never told her to go out there on her own, so now it is my personal responsibility to make sure she will be alright again. You can either help me out with this or step out of the way" Rachel told him, her sincere tone clarifying to him that she meant what she said and that he truly shouldn't argue with her if he had any intention of being by Brooke's side.

"Of course I'll help with Brooke. This is my fault much more than it is yours…" he replied, looking at Brooke sorrowfully as he remembered that the true reason she had exited her house on her own had been the mess he had created with Peyton.

"Lucas, I am dead serious- if you are not certain you want to be by Brooke's side, if there is any chance you might do something that will break her heart once again- just go now and let me deal with this" Rachel threatened, suddenly remembering how much her friend indeed suffered due to Lucas before Victoria worsened it all even more.

"I'm not going anywhere" Lucas announced with just as much determination as Rachel had, "Brooke is the only woman I want to be with, and after we'll help her get better- I'm going to make sure she knows that…" he swore, pleasing Rachel with his response and hence effectively silencing her.

As the room became quiet, both Rachel and Lucas allowed their eyes to wander over to Brooke's calm, sleeping form, and each drowned into his or her own thoughts and concerns regarding the small brunette.

"Do you really think that she might not get past all of it this time?" Rachel suddenly broke the silence and voiced her concern, causing Lucas to mentally kick himself for sharing his worries with Rachel, who was upset enough by everything that was going on as it was.

"She'll be just fine, Rache" he forced himself to softly tell her, knowing that he needed to stay positive and strong, even if he truly wasn't certain that Brooke will be fine anytime soon after everything she had endured. When he saw Rachel slightly nodding her head, undoubtedly trying to convince herself that he was right, his hand found her palm and gave it a supportive squeeze. He had come to appreciate Rachel so much over the past few weeks for everything she had been doing for Brooke, and truly wanted her to feel that she, too, was not alone in this tough time. Only after Rachel gave him a small, appreciating smile and settled back into her thoughts, did Lucas allow his own worries to overcome him. He just prayed that he was right, he just prayed that Brooke could overcome this, he just prayed that Brooke would be alright again anytime soon…

* * *

"Hi honey- you're awake…" Rachel softly greeted her best friend the following morning, when she had finally opened her eyes and awakened from her long, much needed slumber. She intently watched Brooke as she blinked disorientedly and seemed to be attempting to decipher where she was and what had happened to her.

"You had an accident yesterday. Remember?" Rachel gently tried to fill in the gap for her confused friend, without reminding her of the most stressful events that had occurred. She wanted to see how much Brooke remembered on her own and didn't want to stress Brooke out by reminding her of Victoria, if her mind was currently shading the traumatic event from her consciousness.

As her eyes seemed to struggle getting used to the light, Brooke just continued blinking and remained silent. Rachel was just starting to get worried that Brooke still might not be capable of properly responding to her, when Brooke finally cleared her throat and spoke, much to Rachel's relief.

"I remember _everything_ about yesterday, Rachel, it's O.K." she quietly said. Her voice was even raspier than it usually was, and the meaning behind what she just said caused Rachel's heart to constrict with sadness for all that her friend had been through, but the fact that Brooke had finally spoken to her and was completely coherent lifted a huge weight off of Rachel's chest.

"I'm sorry you had to go through all that, honey" Rachel softly told her, taking Brooke's hand in her own palm and starting to rub it with her thumb, to convey her support. "Are you feeling better today?" she caringly asked, but just caused Brooke to absentmindedly shrug.

"I'm fine, Rae, I just want to go home" she said, sounding slightly too indifferent for Rachel's liking and causing her to realize that it was either that Brooke had already managed to put a mask on, as she would always do when she didn't want others to see her in a vulnerable state, or that the medication that she was taking was numbing her emotions.

Just as Rachel was about to further inspect what was really going on with Brooke, Lucas entered the room, carrying bags with breakfast for all three of them. "Brooke, you're awake!" he gladly said, putting the bags down and smiling at the brunette warmly, yet only receiving a small, tight smile in return. "How are you feeling?" he inquired, repeating Rachel's question.

"I'm O.K." Brooke quietly replied, causing Lucas to frown when she used the same apathetic, slightly monotone voice with which she had answered Rachel. When he stared at her intently and realized how unnaturally calm she seemed to be, Lucas realized that the medication the doctor had given to Brooke must be doing its job. While half of him was pleased with the understanding that Brooke was finally going to be stress-free, the other half of him was heartbroken that he had no choice but to allow the doctors to basically drug Brooke and thus deprive her of her naturally emotional personality, even if it was only for a short time and for her own good.

Attempting to stay positive and be productive, Lucas forced himself to find some strength and smiled at her genuinely as he handed her the bags he had brought and said, "I brought us some breakfast, so why don't you pick what you want to eat" he kindly suggested, watching Brooke as she slowly browsed through the different bags only to pick out a small muffin in the end and start eating it quietly as he and Rachel chose their own morning pastries and began eating as well.

Throughout their entire meal, the room remained completely silent. It was truly so uncharacteristic of Brooke to be so quiet and serene, even while she was eating, that both Lucas and Rachel couldn't help but throw her worried glances every now and then. They were both dying to ask Brooke what it was that Victoria had done to her that had made her lose it and break down like she had, but they both knew better and refrained from doing so, as they didn't want to stress her out.

Several minutes after they had all finished eating, the doctor that Lucas and Rachel had spoken to during the previous day walked into the room and smiled kindly at Brooke upon noticing that she was finally awake.

"Good morning, Ms. Davis. How are you feeling today?" he asked her, coming up to her and taking her hand in order to check her pulse.

Normally, after being asked the same question for a third time in a row, Brooke would either get annoyed or make a joke, if she was in a light mood, yet this time she simply shrugged and obediently replied, "I'm fine, doctor. I would like to go home now."

While Lucas' eyes almost filled with tears as he took in how much Brooke sounded like the polite, dull schoolgirl she had never been, the doctor simply smiled at Brooke's words and happily replied.

"Well, I would like you to have a talk with Dr. Frank. As soon as she approved- you'll be free to go home" he told her with a smile, yet caused Brooke to frown.

"Who is she?" she suspiciously inquired. She still seemed much more calm and emotionally-numbed than her usual soulful self, but traces of her emotional personality seemed to be slowly seeping through.

"That's our specialist for trauma victims, Ms. Davis" the doctor patiently explained, and Lucas was grateful to no extent that he hadn't used the word 'psychologist', for he knew what an intense reaction that would have elicited out of Brooke. Still, even the doctor's soften description of the woman of profession caused Brooke to raise her eyebrow with discontent.

"I just went through a tough time yesterday, I'm not losing it…" she told the doctor defensively, resembling more and more her lively self, but in the process- beginning to slightly tremble.

Having noticed her friend's slightly upset and stressed state, Rachel quickly came to her side and put her arm around Brooke's shoulders as she calmingly said, "Sweetie, nobody thinks that something's wrong with you. We all just want you to get all the help you can get so you can get better" she tried to make her see, yet Brooke shrugged Rachel's arm off of her shoulder and retorted with an upset tone.

"I don't need help. I'm fine" she insisted.

"Your hands are trembling, Brooke, and yesterday you scared the hell out of me, so don't tell me that you are fine!" Rachel suddenly snapped at Brooke, causing her to lower her eyes to her lap shamefully, realizing that her friends had also been through hell during the previous day, and not only her.

Realizing that she had been a little harsher on Brooke than she intended, Rachel sighed and spoke once again, yet made sure to maintain a soft voice this time, "You're my best friend, Brooke, and seeing you struggling with everything that happened to you is breaking my heart" she said, causing Brooke to raise her eyes and look at her friend with an emotion-filled expression. "When you found me in your flat and I was in too deep to help myself on my own- you made sure I'd get help, and that's the only reason I'm fine right now" she tried to reason with Brooke, yet the brunette only shook her head and quietly replied.

"No, I didn't. When you told me you needed me, I helped you myself" she corrected Rachel, sounding so betrayed with the fact that Rachel wanted strangers to be dealing with her that tears began forming in Rachel's eyes. She hated doing this, but she knew what had to be done.

"I love you for what you tried to do for me, but we both know that I only really got better after I went to get professional help, Brooke" Rachel pointed out, effectively silencing her friend for long enough so she could plead with her, "Please, Brooke- do this for me."

Looking into her friend's tearful eyes, Brooke heaved a deep sigh and reluctantly nodded her head. "Fine" she muttered, "but I'm only doing this for you, Rae. I really don't need this" she felt the need to clarify, causing Rachel to wipe her tears and to smile.

"Thank you" she simply said, knowing that even though it might take a while, Brooke would be bound to thank her in the end.

"Alright, then" the doctor broke the intense dialogue between the two friends and approached Brooke once again, "Dr. Frank should be free to see you right now. Do you feel strong enough to walk with me over to her office, or do you think you might need someone to take you there in a wheelchair?" he kindly asked, yet caused Brooke to defensively stand up on her feet.

"Like I told you- I am fine" she insisted. Even though her body was still trembling slightly, the doctor nodded and gestured for Brooke to follow him, as he didn't want to further upset and distress her. Lucas, however, could no longer stand aside and do nothing. He therefore came up to Brooke's side and put his hand on the small of her back, supporting her as she walked. He was pleasantly surprised to see that Brooke only glanced at him momentarily, but then simply cast her eyes forward and made no attempt to deny his support.

When they all reached Dr. Frank's office and the woman of profession came out to welcome Brooke into her clinic, Lucas carefully let his hand slide off of Brooke's back, yet before she managed to walk inside, he softly whispered into her ear, "I'll be waiting right here for you, Brooke. Don't hesitate to call for me if you need anything at all…"

After smiling at him softly, Brooke stepped into the clinic and left Lucas to watch as the office's door closed after her. Sitting down with a sigh, Lucas just hoped that pushing Brooke into therapy was the right thing to do, as the last thing he wanted was for Brooke to step out of the clinic even more broken than she already was…

* * *

They had formally greeted each other more than two minutes ago, and now Brooke was restlessly watching Dr. Frank glancing at her medical file every few moments and then scribbling quickly into her notepad. Feeling truly unnerved, Brooke began fidgeting with her fingers, only to freeze self-consciously and pull her palms away when the woman before her suddenly stopped writing and gazed at her fiddling hands intently. If she wanted to be completely honest with herself- Brooke had to admit that the medication she had been given the day before truly did make her feel much better, but there was no way in hell that she was going to let the psychologist before her know that, so she wouldn't label her as being insane. Knowing that she needed to pull herself together and put up a composed façade for this upcoming session, so Rachel could see that she didn't need help, Brooke straightened her posture and looked at the doctor before her as calmly as she could when she finally began speaking.

"So, Brooke- I would like to start our session with you explaining to me what happened to you recently that made you seek therapy" Dr. Frank said, causing Brooke to immediately retort.

"The doctor here and my friends insisted that I would come" she said, causing the doctor to smile.

"And why would that be, Brooke?" she insisted, realizing that she might need to corner Brooke in order to receive some answers. Brooke, however, gave her a fake smile and calmly spoke.

"I don't know" she said, "I'm perfectly fine."

"You know what? Why don't we start with something else…" Dr. Frank decided upon realizing that her new patient was far too defensive for her usual techniques. As Brooke carelessly shrugged, the psychologist carried on and said, "I would like to ask you some questions regarding your childhood" she told Brooke, causing the small brunette to make an indifferent face. "When you were young- have you ever experienced violence at home from either one of your parents?" she sincerely questioned, receiving a confident shake of the head from Brooke. "Was there any form of abuse you have ever suffered from in your family?" she continued questioning.

"No!" Brooke retorted, horrified with the mere thought. Sure, her parents had been anything but the perfect mother and father, but never in a million years would they even think about sexually abusing her. Feeling as though this questioning was completely unnecessary, Brooke shook her head and rose to her feet.

"Look- I appreciate your attempt, doctor- but this is a waste of your time" she apologetically said, "I'm totally fine, so I don't see any reason to continue with this…" she told her as she turned around. She had already begun taking several steps towards the room's door when Dr. Frank once again spoke.

"What about negligence?" Dr. Frank questioned, causing Brooke to stop dead in her tracks. Upon realizing she had hit a sore spot, Dr. Frank only pushed on, "Have you ever felt neglected or unloved as a child?" she asked, causing Brooke to feel her heart constricting with pain she thought she had managed to bury many years before. As the room fell silent as the weight of Dr. Frank's words lingered in the air, Brooke couldn't help but start tearing up, despite the numbing effect of her medication. Turning around with tears shimmering in her eyes, Brooke was met with Dr. Frank's kind smile, which invited her to come and sit back down. As she took in the offer and returned to the couch she had been sitting on, gladly accepting the box of tissues Dr. Frank held out to her, Brooke marveled over the understanding that there might be ghosts from her past that she hadn't truly buried and needed to confront after all.

"How about we start over again, sweetheart? I think that we do have some things we could talk about…" Dr. Frank kindly offered, and Brooke simply nodded, realizing that therapy might be a smart idea after all…

* * *

It had taken both Rachel and Lucas by surprise that Brooke had actually stayed in her therapy session for the whole 45 minutes she was entitled to receive. When she had finally emerged from the room with a tear-stained face, though, they both realized that as painful as it must have been for her- talking about the traumas she had endured with a professional had been exactly what she had needed. Lucas sadly smiled as he watched the girl he loved with all of his heart thanking the psychologist and afterwards scheduling her next session with her and obediently taking the bottle of anti-anxiety pills from her, swallowing one of them immediately, as the psychologist advised. Knowing what a big, important step she had just taken- Lucas couldn't help but hug Brooke to his side and whisper into her hair that he was proud of her when they had both walked towards his car along with Rachel, finally leaving the hospital, at Dr. Frank's approval.

When the three of them arrived at Brooke's house, Rachel and Lucas could undoubtedly tell that the pill she had taken at Dr. Frank's office was already affecting Brooke, as she seemed to be sluggish, unsteady and extremely serene. Lucas therefore wrapped his arms around Brooke and softly kissed her head when he could feel her slender arms circling his waist and holding onto him for support. He cautiously led her up the steps to her front door, as one would lead a drowsy child, and gently helped her lie down on her sofa, upon her request. At the moment- none of the awkwardness that existed between the two of them before mattered or was even present- because Brooke needed support too much for either one of them to even think about the status of their relationship. Lucas assumed that when Brooke would get better, things might once again become awkward between the two of them, but at the moment, all he could possibly care about was making sure that she felt safe and that all of her needs were being taken care of.

As he soothingly stroked Brooke's hair in an attempt to help her get some rest, there was suddenly a knock on the door, which cause Brooke's tired eyes to open slightly.

"Close your eyes, pretty girl, I'll take care of whatever it is" Lucas calmingly said, pleased to notice that Brooke was taking his advice despite the affectionate nickname that had slipped off of his tongue by accident. As he reached the door and opened it, Lucas was surprised to find Bob standing before him.

"Hey man, what's up?" Lucas greeted the police officer as he let him into the house, glancing over at Brooke, who was rising to a sitting position upon opening her eyes and spotting the guest at her house.

"I'm great, Lucas. I just came to check on Brooke" he said, averting his eyes from Lucas over to Brooke and looking at her with worried eyes.

"I'm alright now. Thank you for helping me yesterday" she quietly and slowly replied, sounding just slightly slurred from her medication and drowsiness, yet deepening Bob's frown nonetheless.

"Listen, Brooke. I don't want you to stress yourself out, O.K.? I came to tell you that Victoria is in custody and that I will personally do everything in my power to make sure that she can't come near you again" he sincerely promised as he came up to Brooke and looked her in the eye. He usually didn't get so involved in the cases he was working on, but seeing as Brooke was so dear to Nathan, who was truly a close friend of his, he felt the need to personally do everything he possibly could for her.

While Bob's words put a reassured expression on Rachel and Lucas' faces, Brooke did not seem to be comforted by his words. As Bob's gaze at her intensified, he actually had to admit that she seemed even more troubled than before he had spoken, and he therefore couldn't help but ask- "What is it, Brooke? I promise you that you don't have to worry about Victoria anymore."

"That's the thing…" she confusedly replied. While at first all those staring at her thought that she was simply lacking focus due to her medication, when she continued speaking, it became clear that something else might be puzzling her. "I just don't know what to think anymore…"

"Honey, maybe you should lie down and get some rest…" still not convinced whether it was Brooke's coherent thoughts or the medication speaking, Rachel gently suggested, not wanting Brooke to get all worked up just because her mind was currently slightly hazy.

"No, I'm fine, I just…"

"What is it, Brooke?" Bob questioned intently when Brooke's speech once again faltered in midsentence. He wasn't sure whether her train-of-though kept on cutting off or whether she was simply afraid to speak up, but he understood that Brooke was struggling in an attempt to tell him something of great importance.

"What you showed me yesterday… I kind of recognized it…" she finally admitted, her eyes meeting his gaze and causing his eyes to widen as he realized that this might be the evidence he needed to finally crack the case of Brooke's attack and prove without doubt who was behind her attack.

"You remember the small phone-book I had in the bag right before you fainted?" he questioned, wanting to clarify that Brooke was talking about the same thing he thought she was. When she clearly nodded, a smile formed on Bob's face, as he understood that he might have just found the missing piece to the mystery of Brooke's attack. Looking straight at Brooke, he sincerely questioned, "So if we go down to the station right now, would you be able to identify that phone-booklet as the property of Victoria Davis?"

"That's the thing…" she hesitantly said, causing all eyes to stay trained at her intently as she tentatively spoke, "I'm certain I know who it belongs to, and this person might also have a motive to hurt me, but it does not belong to my mother…" Brooke quietly said, causing all three of her friends' eyes to widen with shock.

"Brooke, this might be crucially important" Bob stressed as he put his hands on her shoulders, looking at her with tense, curious eyes, "This phone-book was found among the possessions of the man who attacked you" he revealed and afterwards added, "I need you to tell me who is the owner of that phone-book" he said, realizing that Brooke might give all of them an entirely new lead when she would open her mouth.

"I… I don't want to be getting innocent people into trouble, Bob… I'm probably wrong about this whole possible motive thing…" Brooke insecurely said as her eyes dropped to her lap, not before all three of those who were staring at her could see how her soulful eyes flashed fear and an expression of betrayal, which told them that Brooke was certainly on to something.

"Brooke, if the person who owns this is innocent- nothing will happen to him" Bob explained, trying to convince Brooke to talk, as he could sense her immense hesitance, "All I will do is question him and see if he knows anything about your attacker. However, this might be my only chance to catch whoever wants to hurt you if this person can lead me to him…" he tried to make her see, finally caused Brooke to sigh and lift her eyes back up.

"That phone-book… It belongs to someone who might be bothered with how close I've gotten to Lucas during the past year" she quietly revealed, causing Lucas and Rachel's jaws to drop as they understood who she must be referring to.

"What?"

"You have got to be kidding me!" they both exclaimed in unison, yet Bob maintained his unwavering gaze at Brooke and beckoned her to speak.

"Come on, Brooke- who's phone-book is that?"

"That phone-book…" she began, pausing to lick her dry lips and to take a calming breath, "Many years ago I bought that phone-book for the girl who used to be my best friend since I was a kid. Her name is Peyton Sawyer."

* * *

**AN: Did any of you see that coming? Hopefully not, because I was trying to take you all by surprise! ;-) I would really appreciate it if you guys took a moment to tell me what you thought of this chapter. It always makes my day! ;-)**


	38. Chapter 38

**Hi everybody! I hope that all of you aren't too mad with me for taking forever with this update. I was away for a while and then I kind of got stuck with translating what I had in my head into writing. However, several people here encouraged me so much to keep writing and let me know that they were still waiting for this, so I'd like to thank all of you for showing me that you were still interested in this story and motivating me to keep writing. I really hope you will all think that it was worth the wait! ;-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 38**

Lucas' gentle fingers soothingly glided through Brooke's soft hair as she laid down in her bed and dozed off, unable to remain alert with the tranquilizing effect the medication had on her. Bob had just left, eager to investigate the lead that Brooke had given him, and even though Brooke had managed to keep it together, it was evident that the meeting with him had taken its toll on her. That, combined with the exhaustion she had already felt prior to Bob's arrival, was enough to make Brooke quietly ask Lucas to help her upstairs, as she wanted to take a nap.

Sitting at her bedside and watching the sleeping beauty before him as she succumbed to her exhaustion, Lucas couldn't help but sigh. It seemed like she had too much on her plate to be able to function in a healthy manner at the moment, and the current uncertainty regarding the true identity of the person behind her attacks was concerning him so much, that he simply couldn't imagine what it must be doing to Brooke in her frail state. Sure, Bob had promised them that he would question Peyton immediately and would make sure that both she and Victoria would not be able to get anywhere near Brooke, but Lucas knew that concern about physical safety was not the only thing that had hit Brooke hard with this entire ordeal. He knew that the understanding that she now had to be aware of the possibility that she could trust neither her mother nor her childhood best friend was what was weighting heavy on Brooke's sensitive soul, and his heart simply broke for her and for the feeling of betrayal he knew she was consumed with.

"Lucas…" as a sleepy mumble caught his attention, Lucas' focus was averted from his thoughts and over to the tired girl he was trying to lull into sleep. He was glad to see that her eyes were closed, but the troubled expression on her face made him realize that something was bothering her rest.

"What is it, babe?" he gently questioned as he looked at her intently and caringly stroked her hair.

"I have to go to therapy again tomorrow…" she muttered in her sleep and then sighed, turning around and facing away from him to bury her face in her pillow, making him realize that she was talking in her sleep. A soft smile graced his face as he noted how childlike and adorable she seemed just then, but as he understood that what she had just said meant that even in her sleep- she was struggling with all the upsetting things she had been through during the past day- he was quick to reassure her.

"I know, baby girl" he softly murmured, "I'll take you there and wait right out that office for you, O.K.? Don't worry about it…" he soothed, kissing her shoulder gently in an attempt to ensure that she would draw comfort from his touch, even if she wasn't conscious enough to be comforted by his words.

"I'm so tired, Lucas…" Brooke weakly whispered, causing Lucas' eyes to fill with tears. She was certainly not awake at the moment, so he knew that she was not talking about the kind of exhaustion an insomniac would suffer from. She was breaking down, and with sleep unleashing her subconscious feelings from the guards she would keep up upon being awake- she couldn't help but admit that.

Pressing two more gentle kisses to her shoulder, Lucas quietly said, "Get some rest, pretty girl. I'm right here with you and I'm not going anywhere" he promised, hoping that this would soothe Brooke's agitated mind.

"Luke" when a tortured whimper escaped Brooke's lips, Lucas closed his eyes and wiped the single tear that managed to escape his eyes. His heart was breaking. No matter what the relationship between the two of them was currently labeled- in his heart, Brooke was his baby, and witnessing her suffering so much was killing him from inside. He still had no idea what exactly Victoria had said or done to her, and he knew better than to press Brooke for answers in her fragile condition, yet it was so evident that Victoria had managed to knock Brooke out of balance that Lucas felt his emotions getting the better of him at how unfair this whole situation was.

"I'm right here, Brooke, it's alright" Lucas said, trying to be useful despite how tough it was for him to maintain a strong front as he faced Brooke's heartbreaking state. Putting his large palm on her back for comfort, Lucas could finally slightly smile when he felt Brooke relaxing slightly into his touch upon instinct.

"Can you lay with me?" Brooke suddenly pleaded, flinching in her sleep and sounding so troubled that several more tears rolled down Lucas' cheek as his heart ached for her poor, tortured soul.

"Sure I can, baby girl. Come here…" he softly gathered her into his arms and spooned his body around her smaller, gentler frame, holding onto her tightly to make her feel safe. He felt relieved to no extent when her tensed-up body finally softened into his embrace as she sighed contently and seemed to finally drift into a calm slumber.

As Brooke's deep, even breaths began soothing Lucas into sleep as well, he pulled her sleeping form closer to him and nuzzled his face into her neck. Had he not known what turmoil was consuming her, he would have gone to sleep completely content having the girl he loved with all his heart tucked safely in his arms. With the way things were, however, the thought that was lingering in his mind as he gave into his own exhaustion and fell asleep was that he was going to stick by Brooke's side no matter what and make sure that her distressed soul would be at ease again…

* * *

They had been getting much deserved sleep for five hours when a knock on Brooke's bedroom door startled both Lucas and Brooke from their slumber and finally woke the duo up. Sitting up and attempting to regain orientation of her surroundings, Brooke seemed to be slightly surprised when she grew aware of the fact that Lucas was lying beside her and holding onto her, yet she didn't say a word and simply slipped away from his arms and went up to her bedroom door as he sat up and rubbed the sleep off of his face. She still didn't know how to feel around him due to the confusing mixture of pain and feeling of safety she would be consumed with all at once when they were together ever since she had found out about his proposal to Peyton, but she admitted to herself that at the moment- she simply needed him and would be foolish to push him away when he was so helpful in making her feel like she was standing on solid ground, despite everything she had been dealing with.

"Hi Rae, what's up?" Brooke hoarsely greeted her friend upon opening the door and finding her standing there, her face wearing an expression Brooke couldn't really decipher.

"Well, I…" she began, abruptly halting her speech as hesitance took over her, "How are you feeling, Brooke? Are you alright?" she asked instead of continuing, putting a confused expression on Brooke's face.

"I'm fine, Rachel. What's going on?" she asked, sounding completely calm, yet unable to erase the concerned expression off of Rachel's face.

"George is downstairs…" Rachel finally gave in and cautiously revealed, looking at Brooke closely to see how this revelation affected her, as she knew that the last few times Brooke had seen the head of the board of _Clothes over Bros' _had been quite emotional for her.

Rachel was half-expecting yet another intense reaction from Brooke's part, yet the brunette simply turned around quietly and started looking for her shoes in complete silence. As Brooke wordlessly tried to make herself presentable for the guest waiting for her downstairs, Rachel continued watching her intently, not knowing how to respond to her friend's eerily calm behavior, yet trying to bite her tongue. When Brooke finally seemed to have finished and was about to leave the room, however, Rachel could no longer remain silent, "Brooke, hold on…" she said, gently grabbing onto her friend's arm and making her look at her questioningly, "Look, I have no idea what he wants to say to you, but I don't want you to get yourself all worked up, so if you need me to find out what this is all about before you talk to him, I can-"

Rachel's worried ramble was cut off when Brooke suddenly wrapped her arms around her and gave her a gentle hug. "I love you for caring about me so much, Rachel, but I'll be fine" Brooke softly reassured her friend, pulling away from her to look her in the eye and give her a reassuring nod. Brooke's disturbingly frail appearance did not help quiet down the concern that Rachel had for her, but she kept her mouth shut and followed Brooke downstairs, along with Lucas, anxious to find out what George wanted to say to her friend.

"Hi George, how are you?" Brooke politely greeted the older man as she saw him, leading him to the living room so they could sit down.

"I'm quite alright, Brooke" he replied with a kind smile, afterwards covering Brooke's small palm with his hand and giving it a gentle squeeze before asking, "More importantly though- how are _you_ doing?" he sincerely questioned, looking at Brooke with such seriousness that she had to avert her eyes before she responded.

"I'm fine" she mumbled quietly, forcing herself to restrain her growing urge to start fidgeting nervously. Truth be told, Brooke was barely holding on. The extreme serenity she had been filled with due to her medication was quickly evaporating as she faced George and became consumed with thoughts about what he may have come to talk to her about. She was concerned that whatever George had come to tell her was bad news, as she knew that this would officially break her, but she was desperately trying to remain optimistic so she could keep it together.

"I heard about what Victoria did yesterday, Brooke" George softly told her, causing Brooke to close her eyes in defeat. She was certain that this was it, that George was about to tell her that he couldn't risk handing the company back to her after how traumatized she must be, but she still managed to clear her throat and wearily speak.

"How did you find out?" she questioned, her eyes planted deep in her lap, as she was too ashamed to look up at him and see the look of pity she was sure she would have found on his face.

"Victoria told me" he simply said, causing Brooke's face to shoot up in surprise.

"What?" she exclaimed, staring at George with a dumbfounded expression. Sharing her immense surprise, both Lucas and Rachel came to sit down by Brooke's side, too eager to hear what George had to say to be able to help themselves and give Brooke and George space.

"I was her one phone-call from jail last night" he revealed, causing Brooke's eyes to widen even more, "She told me everything and vowed that if I would use the company's credit card to bail her out, she would leave you alone for good, if that's what you wanted…" he elaborated, causing Rachel's eyes to fill with rage.

"And you _believed_ her?" she incredulously asked, staring at him as though he was completely insane, "Brooke gets attacked twice, probably by her, and now she kidnaps her and you actually believe a word that comes out of her mouth? _Unbelievable_!" Rachel angrily cried out, concerned about her friend's wellbeing now that Victoria was on the loose again.

"At first I didn't" George admitted, putting an inquisitive expression on Rachel's face, "but then she gave me this"' he added, pulling out an envelope out of his pocket and handing it to Brooke, who stared at it suspiciously before hesitantly taking it from him and opening it up.

As she quietly read the letter to herself, Brooke's expression quickly softened and a hint of a confused smile appeared on her lips. "What does it say, Brooke?" Rachel almost immediately questioned as she stared at Brooke intently, unable to withhold her curiosity.

Ignoring her friend, Brooke raised a pair of hazel eyes and looked at George, seeming afraid to be hopeful, but unable to refrain from being so at the same time, and asked, "Does this mean what I think it means?" she questioned, pleading with him to assure her and to legitimize the happiness that she wanted to feel, yet was suppressing so she won't be hurt if she had misinterpreted the letter. In response to the tentative and unsure look on Brooke's face, George smiled and nodded, causing a small, yet dimpled smile to brighten Brooke's face for the first time since she had learned about Lucas and Peyton's short-lived engagement. The sight of the clear hint of Brooke's happiness brought a smile to both of her friends' faces, yet the two still remained confused, and therefore Lucas now interrupted the conversation and spoke up.

"Brooke, what's going on?" he inquisitively looked at her and asked, his smile widening even more as he watched Brooke's soulful eyes filling with life as she reread the letter.

"In exchange for bailing her out, Victoria gave up any involvement in the company. _Clothes over Bros'_ is mine again!" she replied, sounding so moved that Rachel immediately pulled her in for a hug, realizing how emotional this must make her friend.

"Congratulations, Brooke! You definitely deserve this!" Lucas happily exclaimed as he watched the two girls embracing. He knew that Brooke would have probably been bouncing all around the room with joy at this news had she not been numbed by her medications, yet even as he watched her bury herself inside Rachel's arms, he assumed that her battered soul was just trying to take in the good news it needed to hear so badly. Therefore, when Rachel suddenly shot him a worried glance and began rubbing circles around Brooke's back, his face filled with worry and surprise all at once.

"Brooke- what's wrong?" Rachel gently asked her friend as her shoulders began trembling, making it evident to all those present that she was now crying.

"I'm sorry…" Brooke apologized in an embarrassed, raspy voice as she pulled away from Rachel and quickly wiped the tears off of her cheeks, "I'm such a mess…" she shamefully said, as more tears flooded her face, despite her attempts to regain her composure.

"It's alright, Brooke" George gently told her, looking at her with compassion as she bit onto her lower lip in an attempt to hold back her sobs. "Why are you crying, dear?" he caringly asked, once again proving to her that he truly had her personal wellbeing at interest, and not only the financial success of her business, which he was supposed to look after by definition of his job.

Sniffling slightly and attempting to put up a smile for him, yet miserably failing, Brooke finally let out a strangled cry before she explained, "This is what I wanted, George, and it really does make me so happy" Brooke started off by making the matter clear, pausing to wipe her eyes and sniffle slightly, so she could speak without choking up, yet feeling the lump rising in her throat nonetheless, "but so many people's lives and jobs depend on this company, and right now I don't know if I can take responsibility for that when my stress level is so out of balance" Brooke clarified the reason for the mixture of emotions she was flooded with, causing all of those present to look at her with understanding. "I would _love_ to be able to step into the office with you right now and start talking business, George, but I want to do that the best I can, and right now I can't be at my best" she quietly, honestly said, tears now rapidly flowing down her face, "I just had a breakdown yesterday, I've started therapy sessions today, I have no idea who really wants to hurt me- and judging by what a sobbing mess I am right now- I'm sure you can tell that I'm not taking any of this all too well" Brooke further explained, letting out an involuntary whimper as she realized just how messed up her life had become as of late. She was certain that after her explicit display of emotion, George was bound to agree with her that she was not fit to direct the company, but much to her shock, he slid closer to her on the sofa instead and carefully pulled her into his arms, for a fatherly supportive hug.

"Life hasn't been kind to you lately, Brooke, but I can see that you are dealing with everything that has been thrown your way as best as you can and better than how many people would, so I certainly don't see a mess when I look at you, alright?" George comfortingly said, pulling away from Brooke and putting a hand on her shoulder, so he could look her in the eye, "Now- as for the company- I honestly believe that _Clothes over Bros'_ shouldn't be run by anyone other than you, Brooke. You are the founder and true spirit behind our clothing empire, and the mere fact that you managed to design almost an entire men's collection while you were away, and that right now you showed me that you still had the best interest of the workers at heart, even though it would be understandable if you wouldn't have been able to focus on anyone other than yourself, has proven to me beyond doubt that the board was tragically wrong to have ever let you go" George sincerely said, squeezing Brooke's shoulder as she struggled with her tears.

"George…" she uncomfortably addressed him, "I really want to, but I don't know if I can…" she admitted, yet the older man gave her a calming smile and continued speaking before she could say anything more.

"Listen to me, Brooke. You are twenty-three years old, so you could have been my daughter. Even without everything that happened to you, I would still think that you are too young to handle a huge and growing company like _Clothes over Bros'_ on your own. Don't get me wrong- you will have complete creative control and last say when you come back, but I will personally be much more hands-on, and we have so many wonderful workers that I will help you build a strong team that will aid you in leading the new line and the entire company back to success" George promised. When he noticed that Brooke's stream of tears finally ceased, yet that an uncertain expression was still plastered over her face, George smiled and added, "And I realize that yesterday was a pretty traumatic day, so I want you to give me a copy of your sketches and to go on vacation for a week or two. All I want you to do during this time is get away and rest, and we will come up with marketing concepts for the launching campaign of the line while you are gone. Then, meet me in the company's headquarters in New York, and we will show you our progress and take it from there. How does that sound?" George calmingly asked, his structured, reasonable plan putting a relieved smile on Rachel and Lucas' faces, as they both realized that George's idea would give Brooke time to recuperate from everything, but also something to look forward for as she tried to get her life back on track. They all expectantly looked at Brooke as she wiped her tears and tried to compose herself, waiting to hear her response to George's plan.

"It sounds too good to be true" she finally admitted, giving up her attempts to stop her tears and looking up at George with wet trails running down her cheeks, "Thank you, George" she cried out, the tears running freely down her face and choking her up as she spoke, "for understanding that I can't do this now, but for still keeping faith in me. I'll do everything I can to be worthy of your trust as soon as I can" she said, her body trembling with her tears, as she was deeply moved by the chance that George was willing to take with her. Right then she felt grateful to no extent that the understanding, caring man before her was the one to whom she had entrusted her company, as she knew that most people in this position would have looked at this situation from a business perspective and would have told her that in her condition- she would need to resign. George, however, simply gave her palm a soft squeeze and smiled at her kindly.

"You're welcome. Now get some rest, dear, and I'll be in touch in a few days to see how you're doing" he said, seeing how emotional she was getting and knowing that it must not be good for her to get so worked up in her condition.

Glancing at Brooke's trembling form, Lucas eyed the living room clock and realized that it was over an hour past the time in which Brooke should have taken her medication. Knowing that Brooke needed to keep her stress level under control if she didn't want to experience yet another breakdown, Lucas cleared his throat and quietly suggested, "Rachel, how about you help George with copies of the sketches he asked for while I help Brooke get settled down upstairs". Gazing at Brooke and taking in the way her form quivered, Rachel quickly understood Lucas' intentions and nodded.

Taking a momentary step back, Lucas watched as Brooke bid George goodbye before he did so himself and then put his hand on the small of Brooke's back as he guided her upstairs. He said nothing as he watched her furiously wiping her face, failing in her attempts to rid herself of her tears, and only gently stroked her back, wanting to convey his comfort. He also stayed quiet as he gave Brooke her medication and watched the tears streaming down her face as she drank the water he had given her so she could swallow the pill. However, when Brooke finally gave up her attempts to stifle her cries and buried her face into her hands as she sobbingly muttered, "God, I'm such a mess…", Lucas could no longer remain silent.

"Brooke, you are not a mess…" he soothingly said, coming to her side and putting his hand on her knee as she sat down on her bed and sniffled, repeatedly brushing the falling tears off of her face. "I know that everything that happened lately must be overwhelming, but I promise we'll get you through this" he added once observing how upset Brooke still seemed to be, "We'll take a step back and get away for a week or two and I'm sure you'll feel much better after that…" he tried to convince Brooke supportively, yet only caused her to shake her head as she sniffled.

"I can't just leave, Luke…" she protested, sounding so lost and emotional that Lucas immediately began rubbing his thumb across her knee in an attempt to soothe her, as he knew that he couldn't afford letting her get too worked up so soon after her breakdown. However, despite his attempts, she only continued speaking in an upset and perplexed tone, "I have therapy tomorrow and-"

"Hey, hey, shh…" Lucas soothingly hushed her, taking her in his arms and holding her so she could settle down from her emotional state, "I know you have to see Dr. Frank tomorrow and you will, O.K.?" he calmingly promised, "When you go tomorrow, we can talk to her about the idea of going on vacation and see what she thinks, alright?" he suggested, rubbing up and down her trembling back in the hopes of helping her calm down. When Brooke finally nodded, Lucas heaved a sigh of relief, thinking he had finally helped her relax somewhat, yet as she drew away from his body and helplessly tried to dry her face from her tears, that simply wouldn't stop falling, he couldn't help but frown worriedly.

"I'm sorry…" Brooke quietly whimpered, looking up at Lucas with swollen, vulnerable hazel orbs as she apologized, "I don't know what's wrong with me, I just can't stop crying…" she miserably tried to explain, breaking Lucas' heart yet once more as he realized just how badly she had been affected by everything she had been through.

"Don't apologize, baby…. Come here" he gently pulled her into his arms once again, carefully laying them both down on the bed so Brooke's exhausted body could relax properly. As he felt the small brunette in his arms tightening her grip on him as she silently cried, Lucas undoubtedly understood that the new emotional wounds that her mother and best friend had scarred her with were still so raw that Brooke still had no control over them, that her heart was still bleeding. Realizing that the emotionally-arousing news she had received regarding her company had been too stressful for Brooke to deal with in her unbalanced state, Lucas knew that he would need to soothe her quickly if he didn't want her to experience yet another breakdown. Therefore, stroking her hair gently with one hand as he tightly held onto her with the other, Lucas almost begged, "Please don't cry, pretty girl, this isn't good for you…"

When he felt more tears wetting his shirt, despite watching how Brooke bit onto her lower lip in an attempt to fulfill his plea, Lucas strengthened his protective grip on Brooke's form and spoke once again, "I promise I will fix this… I promise I will fix you, baby girl, but please don't cry…" he pleaded, kissing the top of Brooke's head and rubbing circles on her back until he felt her body beginning to sag into his form as exhaustion caught onto her and as the medication she had taken finally began to take effect. Sighing in relief, Lucas then stilled his motions and just held her and watched her as she completely drifted into sleep, vowing to himself that no matter what- he would keep his promise, that no matter what- he would save Brooke from all of it…

* * *

Brooke quietly sat on her bed and wordlessly watched Rachel as she scurried through her bedroom, packing clothes and essentials for the both of them in a suitcase. A day had passed since she had met up with George and she had just gotten back from her therapy session with Dr. Frank, which- once again- left her feeling physically and emotionally drained. Surprisingly, once Brooke had hesitantly told her about George's proposal- Dr. Frank immediately approved and told Brooke that it seemed like a very wise idea for her to get away for a while with her friends and to start trying to gradually get more involved with her company afterwards, if she felt any better. She had given Brooke her number and encouraged her to call her if she needed anything while she was away, afterwards telling her that she would like to see her in person again once she got back home, as they had yet to complete their therapy process. Leaving Dr. Frank's office, Brooke had still felt uncertain about getting away and distancing herself from her therapist's assisting presence, yet Lucas, Rachel and even Owen had been so excited about the idea of taking her on a relaxing vacation that she had given in, even if it was only so she would please her friends after everything they had done for her.

As Brooke tiredly gazed at her redhead friend, who was running about the room restlessly, she let out a soft sigh. She felt bad about how much she had been leaning on Rachel ever since they had returned to Tree Hill together, especially considering the fact that Rachel had only been released from rehab shortly before that, yet Brooke knew in her heart that she would have never been able to get through those past couple of months without her fierce, fearless friend. The redhead had been so supportive and protective that Brooke mentally kicked herself for ever considering Peyton to be her best friend, when Rachel had been showing her such a higher and truer level of friendship than Peyton ever could.

As thoughts about the traitorous blonde she used to be so loyal to invaded Brooke's thoughts, she slightly shuddered. Peyton had actually had the nerve to call her earlier that morning. She had stupidly picked up the phone without checking the identity of the caller, only to be yelled at by Peyton Sawyer for falsely accusing her and putting her through investigation and for wrecking her beloved car. Brooke had gotten so worked up at the blonde's audacity that Rachel had immediately understood who she was talking to, and hung up the call, not before yelling profanities at Peyton and warning her that she would be severely hurt if she upset Brooke again. Brooke slightly smiled at the fresh memory- it was yet another proof of how much Rachel cared for her and truly had her back.

"I love you, Rae, you know that?" Brooke couldn't help but softly say as the redhead finally finished packing and worked on zipping the suitcase up, causing her friend to halt her actions and lift two surprised eyes to meet her thankful gaze.

"Yeah, me too, Brooke" she replied, smiling, yet still sounding slightly confused, "Is everything O.K.?" she asked, wanting to make sure that the emotional sentence didn't mean that something was upsetting her friend.

"Yeah… I was just thinking about everything you've done for me since the attack…" Brooke replied, putting a serious expression on Rachel's face, as she worried about where her friend's thoughts were leading her.

"Brooke-"

"No, it's fine…" Brooke was quick to cut her friend off in an attempt to erase the concerned expression off of her face, "I just wanted you to know how much it means for me that you've been here for me all this time… You're a great friend, Rachel" she expressed her appreciation, putting a smile back on Rachel's face.

"So are you, Brooke" she managed to reply with a wink before Nathan suddenly stepped into the room, putting an end to the private friendly moment the two girls shared.

"Hi, Nate- what's up?" Brooke greeted her friend with a smile, gingerly rising to her feet and walking towards him to give him a hug, despite the intense state of fatigue her medication was putting her in. She had yet to tell him or Haley about everything that had happened two days earlier as she was simply too stressed and overwhelmed to be able to talk about everything that had happened to her to anyone other than Dr. Frank, even if it was only Haley and Nathan. Therefore, not wanting to betray what was really going on inside her troubled mind, Brooke tried to appear as composed as she could, yet Nathan could certainly tell that something was going on and therefore gave her a funny look as he advanced towards her.

"Are you going somewhere, Brooke?" Nathan asked in confusion as he embraced his friend and observed the suitcase that was resting on her bed. He had come to give Brooke a pep-talk about the presentation she was supposed to hold for her board and to ask her what time she would need him to be there, but now he was beginning to think that Brooke got cold feet and was about to flee.

"Well, yeah…" she quietly replied with a slight smile as she drew away from him, realizing that the suitcase in her room had given her away and that she would be forced to tell Nathan something, despite how much she didn't want to get into it.

"Brooke- you do realize that you're supposed to present your new line to your board tomorrow?" Nathan looked at Brooke pointedly, trying to read her thoughts through her eyes. He could understand Brooke for struggling with insecurities, but he certainly wasn't intending to let her back down from getting her company back after how hard he saw her working on getting better and rebuilding herself as a person and a designer. He continued to eye Brooke intently as she exchanged looks with Rachel, and crossed his hands over his chest as Rachel left the room according to Brooke's wordless plea, forcing Brooke to face him again.

"About that… In the end we're not going to present the line tomorrow…" she uncomfortably told him, immediately apologizing, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, it's just that-"

"Yes you are, Brooke" Nathan shook his head and cut into her speech, unwilling to let her back down after all of her hard work, "You need to go there and prove to your board that this company belongs to you. I'm not letting you allow Victoria to win this, Brooke" he determinedly told her, causing Brooke to sigh.

"I'm not, Nate. Look, I appreciate the fact that you're trying to help with this, but-"

"No, Brooke- stop trying to back down from this, because I won't let you, O.K.?" Nathan assertively said, pulling a cut-out article from the news-paper out of his pocket and handing it to Brooke before she had a chance to explain herself to him, "That Ted Smith tool thinks he can bash your company and I've personally had enough of his crap!" Nathan stated as Brooke unfolded the piece of paper and gazed at the picture of the arrogant male fashion icon and at the dismissive words he once again had to share with the world about her company. Her medication-induced state of tranquility was quickly evaporating as tears filled her eyes and as she trembled with rage, furious that this man was once again badmouthing her baby.

"He's such a jerk…" she quietly mumbled as she read the way he was praising _Tiffany's Closet_, his own company, while repeatedly claiming that _Clothes over Bros'_ was a sunken ship. She had met the man quite a few times in fashion events and red carpets, and had always known that he was a pompous man, but she had never thought that he would go as far as taking advantage of the period of decline that her company had to bash her at every chance he had.

"Damn right he is, Brooke, and I'm not gonna let you allow him to get away with this!" Nathan heatedly said, angry that this man had the nerve to talk so disrespectfully about his friend, "You need to prove this ass wrong and you need to do it tomorrow, like you planned. I'm not letting you run from this!" Nathan strictly told her, only having her best interest at heart.

With angry tears still brimming in her eyes, Brooke was about to tell Nathan that she wasn't giving up, but that the company was already hers again so the presentation wasn't necessary and that she was simply taking a short vacation, yet before she managed to open her mouth, Lucas suddenly brushed past her and positioned himself between her and Nathan, looking at his brother with an extremely displeased expression.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Lucas demanded to know, staring at his brother with an angry expression. All the way from downstairs, he had heard how harshly his brother was speaking to Brooke and he therefore rushed up to stop him, knowing that he couldn't risk having him stress Brooke.

"I'm talking sense to my friend, Lucas, so back off" Nathan warned Lucas with a sincere expression, still angry with his brother for the way he had once again managed to send a crying Brooke Davis to his doorstep earlier that week over the same old love triangle that had hurt her so badly back in high school.

"You're the one who needs to back off, Nate, you don't know what you're talking about!" Lucas tried to tell him, aware that his brother didn't know how harmful the tension he was inflicting upon Brooke could be for her. He was about to explain everything that had happened during the past two days, yet Nathan's furious tone roared throughout the room before he could say anything.

"You don't even deserve to be in this house, Lucas! After the way you hurt Brooke _again _I'm not gonna sit here and listen to anything you say!" Nathan angrily yelled, the intensity of his tone causing Brooke to slightly flinch. Upon observing her involuntary sign of discomfort, Lucas had had enough.

"Yes you will, Nate. I won't have you upsetting Brooke like this" he strictly stated, causing Nathan to see red.

"Oh, this is rich coming from you, Lucas…" Nathan drily snickered as he stared at Lucas incredulously, "You're the one you lied to Brooke and broke her heart yet again earlier this week, remember? If anyone's upsetting Brooke, it's you… I don't even know what you're doing here right now!" Nathan raised his voice at his brother even more, the rage in his eyes escalading so quickly that Brooke immediately slid past Lucas, blocking him from Nathan's blaring gaze, wanting to keep the two brothers from engaging in a physical fight.

"Guys, please stop" she begged, finally silencing both Scott boys duo to her weary, upset tone. Turning to face the younger Scott, Brooke grabbed onto his shoulders and looked him straight in the eye as she finally explained, "Nate, I was trying to tell you that there will be no presentation tomorrow because the company is already mine again…" she said, causing Nathan's blue eyes to widen in sheer surprise.

"What? How did that happen?" he confusedly asked, knowing that Victoria Davis was not one to back down when she wanted something, just like his own father.

"Two days ago my mom showed up here, got into my car and drove off…" Brooke started explained, pausing to lick her lips as she felt herself shiver due to the memory of the tough emotional experience she had endured during that drive, yet causing Nathan's curiosity to peak.

"So?" he confusedly asked, impatient to hear what that had to do with anything.

"I was in the car" Brooke quietly added, averting her eyes to the ground when Nathan's soulful orbs suddenly turned icy blue as intense anger filled them completely.

"_What?_" he asked through gritted teeth, feeling himself tense over with rage at the thought of Brooke's mother once again messing with her head. When Brooke kept staring at the floor silently and seemed to tremble slightly, concern seeped into Nathan's eyes and made him soften his tone as he once again addressed Brooke, "Did she hurt you?" he softly questioned, forcefully restraining the rage that was building up inside of him so he wouldn't frighten Brooke in any way.

Shaking her head, Brooke softly replied, "She just talked to me and Lucas crashed into the car and stopped her before anything could happen, but I got a little overwhelmed by all of it…" she said, causing Nathan's frown to deepen.

"Meaning?" Nathan pointedly questioned, staring intently at Brooke as he already didn't like the sound of things. When Brooke shifted from foot to foot and failed to reply, Nathan averted his gaze to his brother in search of an answer.

"Brooke had an emotional breakdown. That's why we're all going to take a week and a half off and get away" Lucas explained, his blue eyes sharing a look of sorrow with his brother's identical orbs as Nathan finally understood why he was being so protective of Brooke.

"Oh my god, Brooke… I'm so sorry" Nathan put his hand on her shoulder and said, in shock that his friend had gone through such a dramatic ordeal while he was completely oblivious of what was happening in her life.

"It's O.K." she quietly replied with a shrug, raising her eyes to meet Nathan's gaze and attempting to give him a reassuring look, "The bright side is that Victoria got arrested and in exchange for her bail, she signed the company back to me and promised to keep away… I am going to run the company again, Nate, I just need a few days to straighten my thoughts…" she apologetically added, forcing herself to stay strong in front of him, despite the emotional toll that this conversation was having on her.

"Of course, Brooke" Nathan replied with complete understanding, suddenly feeling mortified with himself for the way he had stressed Brooke over Ted Smith's unimportant words, "God, I'm such an idiot for acting like I knew better than you…" he muttered regretfully, causing Brooke to shrug forgivingly.

"It's O.K., Nate, I know you had what's best for me in heart" she said, causing him to smile slightly. Even when she was evidently distraught, Brooke Davis still somehow managed to make sure that he didn't feel bad about himself.

Realizing that he had also mistreated his brother, Nathan turned to the blond man and apologetically said, "Luke, man, I'm sorry for being such an ass to you" he expressed his regret, causing Lucas to nod with understanding.

"It's alright, bro, you didn't know" he replied, knowing that Nathan had only been looking after Brooke.

"No, it's not alright… I should have been there for you, Brooke. I should have realized that something was going on…" Nathan beat himself up for not realizing that Brooke's stream of calls had stopped for the past two days for a reason.

"Nate…" Brooke protested, not wanting him to feel guilty, as she had needed and sought her space since she returned from the hospital.

"No…" he stopped her, feeling extremely bad for being too caught up in his own life to check up on her, "You know what" he said, an idea suddenly popping into his head, "I'm going to go get Haley and Jamie, pack up and come with you" he said, wanting to make sure that his family would be by Brooke's side during the next few days, as she struggled through her emotions and disturbed thoughts.

"You don't have to do that, Nate…" Brooke replied, feeling as though her friends had already given her enough of their time and energy lately. Nathan, however, shook his head and took Brooke's hand in his palm, giving it a soft squeeze.

"Yes, I do, Brooke. Families are there for one another in times like this" he said, causing Brooke's eyes to fill with tears at his caring words. "Come here" he gently pulled her into his arms and gave her a hug, looking at Lucas over her shoulder and receiving a look of approval from the blond for the way he cared for the brunette that was so dear to both of them. "It's all gonna be O.K., Brooke, I promise" Nathan told the trembling girl in his arms, causing Lucas to nod at him agreeably as the two of them maintained their gaze, wordlessly vowing to one another that this promise would be kept no matter what. Wordlessly vowing to themselves that they would do whatever it would take to make sure that Brooke would be safe and happy from now on…

* * *

**AN: I know that this was somewhat of a filler chapter, but I'm hoping that you enjoyed watching Brooke find out that her company was hers again and seeing her friends caring for her, and I promise that the drama is still boiling underneath the surface... Please share your thoughts with me regarding this chapter! ;-)**


	39. Chapter 39

**Hi everyone! I've had so much work for my courses lately, but all of your wonderful feedback helped me write despite it all! I hope you will all enjoy this chapter and would love to hear your thoughts about it, as always! ;-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 39**

Brooke's pale toes dipped into the sand, as the golden grains caressed her lean legs with the gentle breeze. She gazed into the horizon at the setting sun and sighed softly. She was tired- physically and emotionally- but she was finally able to relax and enjoy the calming effect that her medication had to offer, which hadn't been so affective all the while she had been dealing with nerve-wrecking incidents back at home. Now, however, when all she had to worry about was relaxing and watching her friends having a good time at their joined getaway, she could welcome the state of serenity that her medication was guiding her into and feel how her shattered soul was rising from the emotional wreckage it had been thrown into. After everything that had happened, Brooke finally believed that she could be alright again in the long-term. She finally had faith that she could once again become the independent, lively woman who had dominated the fashion world. She knew that she still had some issues to deal with before she could go back to being who she had always been, but the belief that she could be alright again refueled her with the inner-strength she had always had, but lacked ever since she had been attacked at her store.

Shivering slightly, Brooke dug her toes deeper into the sand and wrapped her arms around herself. She moved her eyes from the setting skyline over to look at her godson running on the beach several feet away from her happily and carelessly, chased around by his father, and the sight warmed her up in an instant. Although she had been skeptical at first, she now had to admit that going on vacation with her friends had been exactly what she needed, even if she was too tired to be able to enjoy all the attractions that surrounded the hotel and only wanted to relax in her room or on the adjacent beach. Even though it might have seemed like a waste to ignore the world outside the hotel on the exotic location they had flown to, it was exactly what Brooke needed.

When Brooke heard quiet footsteps coming towards her, she averted her gaze back to the immense sea she was facing, continuing to ignore their owner as he came to sit right next to her. From the corner of her eye, she could see the blue-eyed blond staring at her and contemplating whether to speak, yet choosing to bite his tongue as he sensed her unwillingness to be talkative at that moment. She momentarily stiffened as his strong arms pulled her closer, yet as she could sense his inviting body warmth against her skin, she allowed herself to relax, settle against his muscular chest and lay her head on his shoulder. She once again felt completely exhausted and with him by her side, she could let her guard down and allow herself to rest, knowing that she was safe in his arms.

"How are you feeling, pretty girl?" he softly asked her several minutes later, his right arm cradling her against him as his fingers idly rubbed her hip. She momentarily paused to marvel over the fact that the fond nickname by which he would so naturally call her no longer caused her to feel uncomfortable, despite the fact that they were not romantically involved at that moment, and then quietly replied.

"A bit tired, but I'm O.K." Brooke said, raising her eyes to look at him when she saw him looking at her with concern from the corner of her eye, "I really am fine, Lucas" she promised, relieving him of her gaze only after he nodded, seeming to finally be more or less convinced. Brooke knew that her friends were still worried about her, as even though she had managed to be calm ever since they had left Tree Hill, she was certainly much more pensive and quiet than she would usually be. Especially for Jamie's sake, she wished she could be much more cheerful and energetic, yet her body and soul were signaling to her that she needed to remain on low gear for a few more days.

Just as she felt like she had fully relaxed into Lucas' embrace, the blond who was holding onto her spoke, causing her to slightly tense up as he asked, "Brooke, what happened in your car that day?"

Unable to help her body from stiffening as she thought about that awful day, which she just wanted to forget about, Brooke uncomfortably replied, "I don't really want to talk about it…"

"Hey…" as Brooke began shifting in his grasp uneasily, Lucas calmingly spoke, "I'm sorry… You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. It bothers me to think about what she might have done to you, but you don't have to-"

"She didn't get to harm me physically or hurt me more than she usually does, so…" Brooke softly told him, her voice trailing off as she thought about what might have happened if Lucas hadn't come. Frankly, what bothered her mostly was that she had no idea whether Lucas' interference had stopped Victoria from getting her hurt or whether it had prevented Victoria from proving to her that she had never tried to hurt her in the first place. Suddenly realizing that she had drifted into her thoughts and left Lucas staring at her worriedly, Brooke gave him a vague smile and quietly said, "It's fine, Lucas, really…" afterwards excusing herself and going back to her room, as she could no longer bear the concerned look he was still giving her.

Watching Brooke's retreating form as she made her way back into the hotel, Lucas sighed pensively. It was clear that she was doing much better, yet he still wished that she could open up and speak about what Victoria had done to her, so she could put it behind her and truly heal. He would have liked to be the person who could help Brooke express her feelings and guide her back to emotional stability, but he realized that with everything that had happened with Peyton, Brooke might still need some time to fully warm up to him and wholeheartedly trust him.

As he glanced at his friends enjoying their time on the beach, it suddenly occurred to Lucas who Brooke was most likely to open up to, as this person was the best listener he knew and the person he trusted the most in the entire world. Smiling to himself at the realization that he might have just figured exactly how to help Brooke, Lucas rose to his feet and started walking. He just hoped that he was right and that once he asked this person to talk to Brooke, she would finally be back to her true cheery self he loved with all his heart…

* * *

A couple of days had passed and the entire gang was truly enjoying their time away from their everyday routine; Rachel and Owen seemed to have gotten even closer to one another, Jamie was having a blast going to the beach every day, Haley and Nathan enjoyed the break from their exerting jobs and Lucas was just pleased to see Brooke slowly regaining her confidence and strength.

Just like on every other afternoon they had had since they had come, they were all sprawled out on the beach, sunbathing, reading or simply resting. All, but Jamie- who was building a sandcastle with deep concentration, and Lucas- who was watching over his nephew and after the girl who owned his heart as she rested by his side. Looking at his watch, he smiled to himself, knowing that at any given minute the surprise he had prepared for her was about to arrive and leave her with an open mouth. He let his eyes travel back to Brooke's relaxed form and simply gazed at her lovingly until a loud, excited shriek was heard from behind them, causing all those present to rise in surprise and Lucas to smirk knowingly as he realized that his surprise had just arrived.

"Luke!" the high-pitched girly voice shrieked again as her tiny form began making its way towards him in an enthusiastic run. When Jamie saw who was making her way towards his uncle, his face lightened up and he stared at her with disbelief.

"Cousin Lily?" he called out her name, unable to believe that his play-buddy, who lived all the way across the globe, was actually standing before his eyes, "What are you doing here?" he asked in astonishment.

"It's _Aunt _Lily…" the small girl corrected Jamie with a giggle as her older brother swooped her into his arms and twirled around with her. Despite the fact that they had been born on the exact same day, Lily enjoyed pretending that she was "the adult" out of the two, as she technically was Jamie's aunt. At that moment, though, she was too overjoyed about seeing her brother again that she didn't continue teasing Jamie and instead simply answered his question by saying, "And I'm here with my mommy and with Andy…"

"Karen's here?" now it was Brooke's raspy, shaky voice that spoke out. Giving her a short glance, Lucas smirked to himself; just as he had thought, she looked so relieved and glad that his mother was there that she was almost at the verge of crying. He now knew for certain that his surprise was a success.

"Aren't you happy?" Lily innocently asked the older brunette, mistaking the emotional tremor in her voice for a sign that she was upset.

Upon hearing the little girl's naïve question, a genuine smile graced Brooke's face, causing her lovely dimples to create dents in her cheeks. "I'm happier than you know, sweetie, and I'm also really glad to see you!" Brooke told the lovable girl, causing her to excitedly wiggle out of Lucas' arms and to run over to Brooke, to give her a hug as well.

"I'm glad to see you too, Aunt Brooke" she said, causing Brooke to wrap her arms around her small figure as she cherished that moment with tears pricking in her eyes. It touched her in a way that words couldn't describe to absorb the genuine care and affection that the entire Scott family was showing her, which her own family had failed to give her for her entire life.

As Lily finally pulled away from Brooke's arms and randomly commented, "You look really pretty, Aunt Brooke", Brooke's unushered tears were replaced with a true, beaming smile.

"Thank you, sweetheart… You're very pretty too" she honestly complimented, causing Lily to giggle happily before she skipped off to greet Haley, Jamie and Nathan as well. Brooke smiled adoringly as she watched Lucas' baby sister laughing carelessly as Nathan threw her in the air and caught her in his strong arms. She glanced over at Lucas and her smile widened even more as she watched him gazing at Lily and his brother's family with love. She was completely caught up in that moment, allowing herself to acknowledge how blessed she was that those amazing people surrounding her considered her as family.

Both Lucas and Brooke were so caught up in their own worlds that neither one noticed the two smiling figures that quietly advanced towards them, until the shorter one cleared her throat and spoke out.

"Lucas Eugene Scott- doesn't your mother deserve some kind of proper greeting?" Karen Roe Hargrove teasingly reprimanded her son, causing both Lucas and Brooke to immediately whirl around at the sound of her kind, familiar voice and to spot her standing beside her husband- Andy.

"Ma!" while Brooke remained rooted to her spot, seeming to be utterly shocked by the sight of the woman who had been more of a mother to her than her own while she was in high school, Lucas immediately rushed over to his mother and enveloped her in a big hug. "I've missed you" he honestly told her, tightening his grip on her as he realized just how long it had been since he had last seen her and just how much he has deeply yearned to see her again.

"I've missed you too, my boy" Karen emotionally told him, her gentle hands rubbing up and down her son's big, strong back, "How have you been?" she asked, drawing away from him, but still keeping him at arms' length as she held onto his hands and looked him straight in the eye, "Have you been taking care of yourself, Lucas?" she sincerely asked, keeping in mind that even though her son had called her because of the girl he loved and not because he himself was troubled, that he still had a heart-condition she couldn't afford to let him neglect.

"I'm fine, Ma" Lucas assured his mother with a smile, nodding his head knowingly when she still stared at him pointedly, "and yes- I've been taking my pills every day... Don't worry" he told Karen what she wanted to hear, causing her to finally smile at him in relaxation.

"Good boy" she said with satisfaction, causing Lucas to laugh and shake his head as he realized that no matter how old he would be- to his mother- he would always be her little boy.

The two of them maintained eye-contact for a few more moments, cherishing each other's company and expressing merely with a look, just how much they missed one another. Giving Lucas' hands a caring squeeze, Karen wordlessly signaled to him that she was about to start doing what he had called to ask her to do. Nodding at her thankfully, Lucas watched his mother as she averted her attention to Brooke, who was still sitting on her beach towel where he had left her and looking at Karen with emotional tears in her eyes.

"Don't I get a 'Hello'?" Karen teased as she locked eyes with the younger brunette, causing Brooke to snap out of her daze and to rise to her feet.

"Oh my god… You're really here…" Brooke muttered in shock as she fell into Karen's welcoming embrace, unable to stop a few tears from falling. As Karen gently rocked her trembling body in her arms, sensing her intense emotional state, Brooke once again spoke in astonishment, "What are you doing here, Karen?" she asked, breaking apart from Karen's warm hug and wiping her eyes as she stared at the older brunette in bewilderment.

"A little bird told me that my presence might be helpful right now" Karen tried to lightly confess to Brooke that she was the reason she had come, yet nonetheless- Brooke's eyes grew as wide as saucers and more tears began flooding down her face as shock and embarrassment overcame her.

"Lucas Scott, I'm going to kill you!" she turned to him and threatened through her tears, only causing him to smile at her reassuringly.

"I'm afraid I can't allow you to do that, Brooke…" Karen teased, pulling Brooke back into her arms as she observed her struggling uselessly against her tears. "It's alright, honey, I was glad to come" she soothingly whispered into Brooke's ear, only causing more tears to flow down her cheeks as she acknowledged just how much Lucas cared about her to know exactly who might be able to help her and to trouble his mother like that, and just how much Karen loved her to be willing to travel all the way across the world to be able to be by her side in her time of need.

Still completely embarrassed that Karen and her family had troubled themselves on her behalf, Brooke drew away from Karen's hug and apologetically said, "You didn't have to do this, Karen…", feeling like the older brunette, who had done so much for her already, had truly gone too far for her this time.

"Well, I can leave if that's what you want-"

"No!" Brooke immediately protested, not even allowing Karen to finish her teasing joke. She would have never called Karen and asked her to come, but having her there was truly a blessing for Brooke, so much that she couldn't even joke about it. When Karen simply gave her a kind smile, indicating that she wasn't going anywhere, Brooke once again found herself tearing up.

"God, it's so great to have you here, Karen…" she once again hugged Karen as she spoke, allowing herself to cherish that moment, in which Karen was holding her like a mother would hold their child and letting her feel like she had a family she belonged to, even if she wasn't born into it.

As Lucas proudly looked at his mother warmly hugging the girl he loved, he inwardly commended himself for thinking up this successful plan. However, once he saw how Brooke's frail form was starting to tremble, he realized that it was enough excitement for one day and that he should get both Brooke and his mother to go lie down, so they could later talk after they were better rested. He stepped towards the duo and was about to suggest just that, when his mother spoke, beating him to it.

"Well, sweetheart, you and I are going to talk later on, but right now I want you to get some rest" she instructed, causing Lucas to smile at the fact that she had simply read his mind. He let out a breath he didn't even realize he had been holding, feeling as though with his mother present, he could finally relax a little and allow himself to worry less about Brooke. With his mother around, he now knew that he could once again be the young man he was and not feel like he was holding the weight of the world on his shoulders, as he had a dependable, experienced adult to guide him and Brooke. He knew he wasn't a boy anymore, but he felt like he didn't know what he was doing with Brooke half the time and had been relying on his instincts, hoping that they were telling him the right thing to do in order to help her, but with his mother at his side, he knew he had a trustworthy person who seemed to always know what would be the right thing to do. Stepping back and giving his mother a relieved, thankful smile, he watched as Brooke once again drew apart from Karen's embrace and shamefacedly spoke.

"Of course… God, I'm so sorry, Karen…" she apologized in embarrassment, "You must be exhausted from your flight and here I am, troubling you with my stupid tears…" she rambled guiltily, putting an adoring smile on Karen and Lucas' faces, as they once again acknowledged how kind and thoughtful Brooke always tried to be, even when she felt like she was breaking.

"Your feelings aren't stupid, and you could never trouble me, Brooke Davis" Karen fondly told the young woman before her, helping her brush the tears off of her face once again, "Now please stop worrying about me and go to your room and lay down, alright?" she instructed in a motherly tone, leaving Brooke no choice but to nod with agreement and then to grab her beach towel and disappear into the hotel. Lucas and Karen quietly looked after her for several moments, until her slim figure could no longer be seen, and heaved a mutual sigh, both marveling over the immense difference this version of Brooke bore to the cheerful, confident girl they knew, who could light up a room with her dimpled smile. Finally, Karen broke the silence and quietly spoke to her son.

"I'm glad you called me, Lucas" she simply told him, not needing to say anything more in order to express what she meant.

Nodding thankfully, Lucas replied, "I'm so glad you could make it, Ma… I've been trying my best to help her and she has gotten better, but…" his voice faltered, yet Karen nodded, completely understanding what he meant to say.

"She not really back to herself just yet, Lucas, I know" she completed his sentence, causing him to nod, indicating that that was exactly what he had meant. "I'll talk to her later" Karen promised reassuringly, putting her hand on her son's shoulder and giving it a gentle, supportive squeeze, causing him to smile with relaxation.

"Thank you, Ma" Lucas genuinely expressed his gratitude, amazed at how his mother's mere presence and simple reassuring gestures managed to make him feel ten times better already, even though she had arrived less than ten minutes earlier.

Smiling at her son, Karen asked, "Now, how about you start out by filling me up with everything that was apparently going on while I was away from Tree Hill…"

Letting out a chuckle, Lucas had to tell her "That will be a long talk, Ma… How about you get some rest as well and talk to me about that later. You must be exhausted from your flight…" he thoughtfully said, widening the smile that graced his mother's face with his care.

"Alright, my boy" Karen agreed. The adrenaline that had filled and energized her as she was reunited with her son was currently wearing off and forcing her to acknowledge that her body was indeed begging for her to sleep after the long flight she just had, "but I expect you to fill me in on every detail after I wake up" she made her condition, causing Lucas to nod in agreement.

"Deal" he consented, smiling at his mother as she now tried to stifle a yawn.

"I'll see you later, my boy" Karen gave Lucas a tired, yet loving smile and then disappeared into the hotel, taking Andy with her and leaving an insistent Lily behind with Jamie, as the little girl had slept throughout most of the plane ride and currently had lots of energy to play.

As he looked at his sister and nephew playing around in the sand and laughing freely, as though they had no care in the world, Lucas allowed himself to relax as well. He finally felt like things would be O.K. for him and for Brooke, he finally felt whole- with his entire family by his side, he finally had his mother with him, and the feeling was great…

* * *

Karen silently stared at Brooke's sleeping form as the younger brunette still rested in her bed, letting out calm, steady breaths. Several hours had passed since Karen first arrived, and even though Karen had already risen from her nap and felt refreshed and alert, Brooke was still heavily sleeping. Upon waking up, Karen immediately went to see if Brooke had awakened, but once she crept into her room and noticed her in a deep sleep, Karen left to talk to her son, as she didn't want to disturb the younger brunette's rest. Now, however, after Lucas filled her in on everything that Brooke had been through lately, she felt the need to stay close to the younger woman and protect her, like a mother would protect a young child from the cold, harsh world. She therefore snuck back into Brooke's room and simply sat by her bedside and watched her as she slept. From the moment she had laid eyes on Brooke, it had been obvious to Karen that she wasn't quite alright, but after Lucas had told her that the once cheerful brunette underwent two vicious attacks and had reason to believe that it had been either her mother or her former best friend who was behind them, Karen realized just why Brooke seemed so troubled and simply felt horrified. She couldn't believe what the girl, who she loved like a daughter, had been through, and what her son was trying to deal with while she was traveling around the world, unaware of the dark shadows that loomed over the ones she loved.

As Brooke sighed and rolled over in her sleep, her face now revealing itself to Karen's eyes, the older woman smiled slightly. She knew that the girl before her was one of the most prominent figures in the fashion world, who fiercely paved her way to the top, but when she slept, Brooke Davis still looked like a child, reminding her so much of the lively, big-hearted teenager who captured her heart all those years earlier. Unable to help herself, Karen gently brushed an unruly strand of hair off of Brooke's face, yet in the process, accidently awakened the younger girl up, causing her to blink in confusion as she noticed who she was facing.

"Karen?" she muttered in disbelief, her raspy voice laced with sleep and making it evident to the woman before her that she had yet to completely regain awareness of her surroundings.

"Hi sweetheart" Karen therefore felt the need to respond and prove to Brooke that she was indeed sitting before her, afterwards adding, "you sure took a long nap…" causing Brooke to slightly blush in embarrassment.

"Sorry, I have to take pills that make me really tired… I hope you weren't waiting for me to go get dinner or anything…" she rambled, still trying to grasp the fact that Karen was actually right there, sitting by her bedside and smiling at her adoringly. Realizing that she was babbling, as she always tended to do when she grew tense or uncomfortable, Brooke once again apologized, "Sorry… Don't mind me. I ramble when I'm nervous…" she said, and Karen couldn't help but laugh at her comment and at the scolded expression Brooke's face wore as she uttered her apology.

"You're forgetting that I already know you and all of your little antics, Brooke Davis" Karen reminded Brooke, causing Brooke's flushed face to turn completely red as she realized that Karen was right- that this was not the first time that she had made an idiot out of herself in front of Karen. She smiled nervously at the woman before her, causing her to shake her head at her before saying, "You are certainly something else, Brooke, but I don't think that anyone who knows you would have you any other way…" she reassured the younger girl with a smile, causing Brooke's natural skin tone to reemerge, "Now, how about we go and eat something, because you slept through lunchtime and you're already far too skinny for my liking!" Karen suggested, already going back to a mothering mode, which was so natural for her, especially when she was around Brooke and Lucas. She grabbed Brooke's hand and was about to help her up to her feet when the younger girl gently tugged onto her hand, causing her to halt her movement and to look at her questioningly.

"Karen?" Brooke said in a small voice, sounding so childlike that Karen truly had to restrain the urge to pull her into her arms and never let go, as she wanted to give her space so she could talk.

"What is it, sweetheart?" when Brooke just looked at her with big, emotion-filled eyes, Karen felt the need to urge her on.

"I'm just so happy that you're here…" Brooke sentimentally said, her glazed-over eyes showing Karen just how much she meant what she said, how much her presence was truly needed and appreciated.

Giving Brooke's palm a gentle, supportive squeeze, Karen softly replied, "There's nowhere else I'd rather be right now" she honestly told Brooke, afterwards giving her a reassuring smile and adding, "Come on, Brooke, why don't you come down and get some dinner? You look like you haven't really eaten a good meal in a while…" she couldn't help but say, dissatisfied with how thin and frail the younger brunette had become. Brooke, however, politely shrugged before replying.

"Why don't you go, Karen? I'm not really all too hungry right now, but you must be starving after your flight…" she thoughtfully pointed out, yet Karen shook her head.

"I just had a snack with Lily less than an hour ago, so I'm fine, but you, Brooke, need to eat" Karen insisted, her mothering, nurturing nature taking over completely and causing Brooke's eyes to drop to her lap in discomfort. Noticing how uneasy Brooke had become, Karen sighed and came to sit on the bed, closer to her. "You know what- why don't we wait with dinner for a bit and just talk for a while?" Karen suggested, causing Brooke to raise her eyes and look at Karen with uncertainty.

Keeping an unwavering gaze at Brooke's hesitant eyes, Karen felt the need to speak up first and tell her, "I talked to Lucas and he pretty much filled me in" she simply said, the sorrow in her eyes increasing as she watched Brooke shift uncomfortably before her, "Honey, I was so sorry to hear about what you've been through. I can't even begin to imagine what it's been like…" she compassionately said, reaching for Brooke's palm and burying it between her own hands in a gesture of comfort.

"It's been tough" Brooke finally responded, letting Karen into her soul and revealing her innermost feelings, "It still is… But Lucas has been so helpful and wonderful to me" she added, giving Karen a small smile, as if to tell her that she had done a great job raising her son.

"That boy of mine cares dearly about you, Brooke" Karen reminded her, causing Brooke to nod, yet to lower her gaze to her lap, as she didn't want to argue with Karen or say anything bad about her son. Being the observant person she was, Karen smiled and knowingly added, "I know he has had his fair share of foolish behavior, but my son loves you, Brooke. I have no doubt about that…"

"I know, Karen. He's been by my side throughout all this, so I know that he loves me, but sometimes I have to wonder if love is enough…" she pondered out loud. Seeing the thought process play out on Brooke's face before her, Karen kept quiet and just looked at Brooke, urging her to speak her mind.

"Like, with my mom…" Karen's patience paid off, as soon enough, Brooke was revealing what hurt her the most, "I _love_ my mom, Karen, but I don't know if I can trust her. I don't know if she won't hurt me next time I see her" she said, breaking Karen's heart, as no child deserved to feel that way around his or her parent, let alone someone as loving and kind as Brooke.

"Oh, honey…" Karen was unable to help but sadly respond. She squeezed Brooke's palm soothingly, yet grew silent once more when she saw the outplay of emotions on Brooke's face, which indicated to her that the younger girl had yet to share all that weighed so heavy on her heart.

"And you want to hear the saddest part?" Karen only caressed Brooke's hand in response to her rhetorical question, giving her the space to speak at her own pace, "That's just how I feel around Peyton, and that's just how I feel around Lucas- I love them with all my heart, but I don't know if I can trust either one, because I don't know if I can take getting hurt again…" Brooke said, her voice cracking at the end of the sentence as her emotions overflowed her voice.

"I know how hard it can be to trust, Brooke, trust me. I had trouble trusting Keith after he nearly killed Lucas when he drove drunk with him in the car, I had trouble trusting Deb after she nearly shot costumers at the café once by accident and I even had trouble trusting my son's first and very adventurous girlfriend, who decided it would be a good idea to get him tattooed…" Karen reminded Brooke with a smile, causing her to blush shamefully as she recalled her reckless behavior as a teenager.

"Sorry about that…" Brooke mumbled in embarrassment, causing Karen to laugh slightly at the expression on her face, which mirrored the childish look Lily would give her when she would be caught doing something she knew she wasn't supposed to be doing.

"I already forgave you for that a long time ago, Brooke. What I'm trying to say, actually, is that I found it in my heart to trust again all these times, even though rational thought sometimes told me otherwise, and in hindsight, I know I did the right thing by giving the people around me a second chance…" Karen wisely said, silencing Brooke with her experienced advice and causing her to think things over.

"My mom kidnapped me in my own car" Brooke finally replied, after a long, pensive silence, "and I thought she wanted to take me somewhere and get me killed…" she added, stunning Karen into silence, as this was something Lucas hadn't known and didn't tell her. Nonetheless, seeking Karen's advice, Brooke asked for direction, "Do I still forgive her? Do I still give her a second chance and trust her again?"

"I… I don't know, Brooke" Karen honestly told her after a long silence, simply shocked to hear what Brooke had told her. "What made you think she wanted to kill you?" she finally managed to ask, wanting to be of help to the younger girl, but unable to do so without a better knowledge of what had happened in Brooke's car that day.

Licking her dry lips, Brooke took a deep breath before answering, "She took off with me in the car and even though I begged her to let me out, she just kept driving until we reached this rundown neighborhood I've never been to. Out of the blue, she just stopped and started telling me how much she had always wanted to be a designer…" Brooke explained, pausing to take in a deep breath before she added, "I honestly thought she was waiting for someone to step out of one of the shabby houses in that street, so she could let him finish me off, but some old creep came up to the car instead and kept harassing us until she started driving again. She told me it just wasn't worth it if that meant that I believed she would want to hurt me, but I guess I might never know if that was the truth or simply her conscience speaking for one last time, because the next thing I knew, Lucas crashed into my car and pulled me out of there, away from her…" she concluded, taking yet another deep breath, as she suddenly felt slightly lightheaded from it all.

Staring at her in shock, it took Karen several moments before she could say, "My god, Brooke, I'm so sorry you had to go through that…" pulling Brooke's frail form into her arms for a tight, comforting hug.

"I was scared out of my mind…" Brooke confessed, reveling in Karen's motherly protectiveness and allowing herself to bare her soul in front of her, "But even though my head told me that she was probably trying to get rid of me, once and for all, my heart was begging me to hold onto the belief that maybe she just wanted to talk to me and make things right, maybe she did love me after all…" she said in a soft whisper, the innocent nature of her hopes causing Karen to tighten her grip on her protectively.

"I think that when the right time comes, you'll get your answer, honey" Karen tried to reassure her, afterwards pulling away from her to look her in the eye, "But for now, why don't you surround yourself with people who undoubtedly love and support you and focus on getting back to yourself, alright? So many people care about you unconditionally, Brooke. Focus on them" Karen advised, causing Brooke to nod with a faraway look in her eyes, as she obviously knew this was what she should be doing, but wished that things would be different, wished that her own mother could treat her with the same love and kindness that Karen was showing her.

Noticing the distant sadness in Brooke's eyes, Karen desperately wanted to cheer her up and therefore couldn't help but add, "I know I do, for one, and Lucas does too…" she said, sighing when she saw Brooke's gaze fall to her lap once again.

"Brooke, look at me, please" Karen asked, the serious tone of her voice causing Brooke's eyes to meet her warm, brown orbs in an instant, "I lost far too many years with the first love of my life because I was uncertain, and now he's gone" she sincerely said, the sorrow in her eyes mirroring the expression that took over Brooke's face at the mention of the wonderful life Keith and Karen should have shared together. "I was lucky to find Andy, the second love of my life, and get a chance at happiness, but not a day goes by in which I don't regret all the time I wasted with Keith" she confessed, causing Brooke's eyes to glaze over with sadness.

"Keith was a wonderful man, Karen" Brooke sorrowfully offered words of comfort, even though she knew that nothing she would say could make up for Karen's unbearable loss. Karen, however, was quick to reply.

"Don't make the same mistake I made, Brooke. Don't behave like you will have forever, because sometimes, the dearest things in life can get taken away from you far too quickly" she strictly advised, causing Brooke to grow silent as she pondered over her words.

"Lucas loves you" Karen noticed Brooke's attentive state and took advantage of it, hoping she could use it to persuade Brooke to listen to her heart and to give herself a chance at love, "I know my son, Brooke, and he is absolutely in love with you. I know that he doesn't always think his actions through, but the way his face fills with adoration when he looks at you and the fact that he was practically in tears when he told me about how you've been attacked proves to me that he loves you with all his heart, honey" Karen told the quiet girl before her, "I can see it in his eyes that all he wants is to love and protect you, because when you're close by, he gives you the look Keith used to give me, Brooke… I guess what I'm trying to say is that sometimes, love _is _enough…" she concluded her heartfelt speech and only then realizing that she might have come onto Brooke a bit too strongly, as her cheeks were flushed and she seemed to be unsettlingly speechless.

"Sweetheart, I didn't mean to overwhelm you, but Lucas is my son and I love you like a daughter, so I want what's best for you two. I just want you to listen to your heart and to embrace the feeling of being genuinely loved, alright?" Karen clarified, causing Brooke to vaguely nod, her head still swarming with the heartfelt words of guidance Karen had just shared with her.

Witnessing Brooke's distraught state, Karen quickly gathered her into her arms and sincerely promised, "And just know that I will always be there for you, no matter what you decide" she clarified, not wanting Brooke to feel pressured to obey her advice just out of fear that she would no longer care about her if she wasn't in a relationship with her son.

"Thank you, Karen. That means a lot" Brooke quietly replied, still so consumed with her thoughts that she felt like her head was spinning. She held onto Karen for a few more moments, closing her eyes and relishing in the motherly warmth and comfort the older brunette was offering her, and finally began feeling like she was settling down.

Just as Brooke finally drew away from Karen and smiled at her, grateful for her support and calming presence, Lucas stepped into the room, his eyes immediately focusing on Brooke and looking at her with care.

"Hey…" he greeted both her and his mother, yet his eyes remained trained on Brooke, "How was your nap, pretty girl?" he thoughtfully questioned, putting a smile on Brooke and Karen's faces with his evident care.

"I feel much better now" Brooke replied, giving Karen a smile as well, as if to say that their conversation had also helped her, as she had finally opened up about her feelings and spoken about the extent of what she had gone through with Victoria.

Nodding contently, Lucas then suggested, "How about we go to get some dinner now? You haven't really eaten enough today, Brooke" he commented, afterwards adding, "Actually- neither of you have…" he said, realizing that his mother was so busy taking care of everyone else that she hadn't had the time to tend to her own needs properly.

"What's with all of you people? Are you guys trying to make me fat?" Brooke asked incredulously, amazed at how everyone, including Jamie, seemed to notice her eating habits and made sure she ate at least three meals a day.

Karen, however, nodded approvingly, as she wanted to see the frail brunette before her eating with her own eyes, and replied, "That sounds like a great idea, Lucas. Let me just get Lily and Andy prepared and I'll meet you in the lobby in ten minutes" she said, receiving a nod from her son before she left the room.

The room grew silent as Brooke and Lucas were left alone, each one of them contemplating in his or her head what to say to the other. Finally, it was Lucas who broke the silence as he asked Brooke, "Did you and my mom have a good talk, Brooke?", receiving a quiet nod from the brunette in response. Thinking that she still might be upset with him for sharing the details of her vulnerable state with his mother, Lucas walked up to Brooke until he was standing face to face with her and, looking at her intently, he felt the need to say, "Brooke, I only asked my mother to come because I thought that this was what was best for you…" he sincerely promised, his blue eyes shining with honesty and care.

Caught in the earnest look his eyes were projecting her, Brooke could only nod and softly say, "I know, Luke…"

"I don't want you to be upset with me, pretty girl" Lucas insisted, not content with Brooke's seemingly distant response, as he believed it was a sign that she had read his actions in the wrong way.

Brooke, however, shook her head and replied, "I'm not, Luke", unable to say anything more, as her head was spinning due to her conversation with Karen and the feelings it aroused in her now that she was standing inches away from Lucas and was caught in the sea of emotions in his eyes. Through his soulful gaze, she could tell that Karen was right- that he was looking at her with undeniable love, and even though her heart was melting and screaming at her to give in to her feelings and let him in, her head was still reminding her of how hurt she had gotten by Lucas every time she had let her guard down for him.

Unaware of the inner conflict that was going on inside of Brooke, Lucas chose to read her minimal responses to him as proof that he had made the wrong choice by sharing Brooke's struggle with his mother without her permission. Desperate not to see her slipping through his fingers yet again, Lucas looked at her with eyes shining with care and desperation and almost pleaded, "I thought I was doing something nice for you, Brooke. Please don't be offended by this…", hoping that she would see the goodness of his intentions. He wished that Brooke would assure him that they were fine, but braced himself for the possibility that she would walk away or clam up to him again. However, not in a million years would he expect Brooke to suddenly rise on her tiptoes and brush her lips against his in a sweet, gentle kiss.

As she pulled away from his lips, but leaned her forehead against his, leaving their lips merely inches apart, Lucas automatically wrapped his arms around Brooke's waist for support and looked down at her red lips with a mixture of lust and surprise.

"Brooke?" he finally found his voice and uttered her name, wanting to know what this kiss meant for them, but unable to say anything more with the way her body was finally pressed against his again, with the way her lips were almost touching his as they both breathed.

Surprising him with yet another soft peck, to which he had managed to respond for a short moment before she drew away again, Brooke simply said, "Thank you, Lucas…" looking up into his eyes and flashing him genuine gratitude for everything he had done for her, before pulling away from him and walking out of the room, leaving him standing in his spot in shock.

Touching his lips with disbelief, a hint of a stunned smile began forming on Lucas' face. As it registered to him that he hadn't dreamt, that Brooke had actually kissed him twice, his smile only grew wider and wider and a feeling of infinite happiness took over his entire body. Letting out a free, euphoric laugh, Lucas was finally able to move out of his spot and start making his way to the lobby, where Brooke had gone to, feeling like he had just gotten a fresh start, feeling like he and Brooke actually stood a chance, thankful more than ever that he had asked his mother to come…

* * *

**AN: I hope you enjoyed the surprise Lucas had for Brooke, as I just couldn't help but include Karen in this fic! She's just so great! Please tell me what you thought about that and also- how you felt about the ending of this chapter! ;-)**


	40. Chapter 40

**Hi everyone! I know it's been a while, but I was sort of down lately and therefore no matter how much I tried- for a while I felt like I couldn't write this chapter the way I wanted to. Now, however, I think I finally managed to put it together (hopefully)... It's partially a filler chapter, but I'm pretty sure that at least most of you will enjoy the ending... ;-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 40**

_"There's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like home…"_

"This movie stinks…" Jamie commented, unimpressed, as he watched Dorothy tapping her heals together and returning back from the Land of Oz and over to Kansas. He glanced sideways, over to Brooke and Lily, who was positioned on the older brunette's lap, and shook his head upon observing just how captivated both girls were by the movie they had been watching for the past hour and a half.

"It doesn't even make sense, and besides- there's no such place as Oz! My mom bought me a globe last spring, and if there was somewhere called Oz, I'm sure I'd remember it!" he pointed out thoughtfully, causing Brooke to avert her gaze from the movie and over to her wise godson and to chuckle as she, once again, came to realize how smart the little boy was for his age. Lucas, on whose lap the younger blond was sitting, laughed out loud and ruffled his nephew's hair affectionately, enjoying the boy's developed sense of logic.

"I like it!" Lily countered, her eyes still glued to the screen, taking in the last minutes of the motion picture with great interest. "Don't you like it, Aunt Brooke?" she questioned, still hypnotized by the sight of the motion picture once again becoming monochrome as Dorothy left the colorful, magical land of Oz and returned to reality.

"I sure do!" Brooke replied honestly, giving Jamie a playful wink and then returning her attention back to the screen.

Staring at the two girls, Jamie sighed in exasperation and crossed his arms over his chest with discontent. It was the last day of their vacation together and Haley had already prepared him for the fact that Lily was about to leave back to Australia with her parents and that he wouldn't be able to see her for a long time. He had expected them to enjoy their last day together playing games together and taking advantage of the facilities of the resort they were in, so sitting in front of a movie he didn't even like seemed like a complete waste of time to him.

Sensing his nephew's dissatisfaction with the situation and knowing that Haley and Karen had asked him and Brooke to keep both kids busy inside the hotel as they prepared lunch for the entire gang, Lucas knew he needed to think of a way to keep the small boy entertained. As an idea suddenly entered his mind, Lucas smirked and secretively whispered something into Jamie's ear, causing him to grin mischievously.

"Why are you smiling like a Cheshire cat, little man?" Brooke caught onto the two Scott boys' fishy behavior out of the corner of her eye and questioned suspiciously.

"No reason…" Jamie quickly replied, attempting to keep a straight face, but unable to help but giggle.

"Oh really?" Brooke raised an eyebrow in disbelief and averted her gaze to the older Scott boy, who was doing a better job at smiling at her, yet maintaining a poker-face. Sensing that they were planning something, Brooke attempted to lift Lily off of her lap, so she could be better prepared and more mobile, yet the moment she slightly raised the younger girl- Lily called out in protest and latched onto her knees, too engrossed in the final minute of the movie to even be conscious of her surroundings.

Lucas and Jamie shared a pleased look as they both realized that Lily was keeping Brooke rooted to her seat and was thus helping them with their plan. The two blonds patiently waited until the credits began to roll, and just when Brooke thought that they weren't going to do anything after all and had let her guard down- Jamie suddenly leapt to her other side, trapping her and Lily between him and Lucas as they began tickling them.

"Lucas Scott, you are so unfair!" Brooke complained between laughs as she squirmed, attempting to escape his wiggling fingers, but only rolling off of the couch and landing on the floor, much to the boys' convenience, as she was now even further trapped.

"Oh? And how's that?" Lucas feigned innocence as he continued his playful actions, "You two had your fun, it's our turn now…" he said, kinking his eyebrow at Brooke suggestively and causing her to gasp in shock.

She was about to reply with a witty remark of her own when the room's door suddenly opened and Nathan walked through it, pausing as he took in the sight of the tickle fight taking place before him and smiling with amusement.

"Nice, man… I leave you alone with the kid for two hours and you're corrupting him already?" he questioned jokingly, causing Lucas to chuckle as he noticed what a compromising position he and Brooke were indeed in. Sure, Jamie and Lily were positioned on top of his back and thus clarifying the playful nature of the situation, but the fact remained that he was hovering over Brooke's body, trapping her between himself and the floor with their limbs intertwined with each other.

Noticing how Brooke was blushing and slightly squirming underneath him, Lucas grinned and lifted himself off of her, afterwards giving her a hand and helping her to her feet. In response to a brief smile Brooke directed at him, Lucas gave her arm a gentle pat. When she didn't shy away from him, he couldn't help but feel truly content. He was pleased with the fact that they had once again grown comfortable around one another during the week that had passed since his mother's arrival, and that Brooke seemed to have healed; since she had kissed him a week earlier, she seemed to be slowly warming up to him- slipping her palm into his as they took a walk on the beach or innocently snuggling up to him one evening, when they all sat down to watch a movie together. She had yet to initiate anything further, but Lucas knew not to pressure her and was pleased all the same. He felt like they were moving in the right direction, and therefore had no problem allowing Brooke to set the pace for them, even if it meant that they were currently advancing in baby steps.

Lucas' attention was averted back to the rest of the people present in the room when Nathan suddenly cleared his throat and spoke, "So, listen man- your mom sent me here to look after the little monsters so you and Brooke can pack up for tomorrow…" he explained the reason for his arrival, as the rest of the gang had indeed taken the time to finish collecting all of their belongings into their suitcases while he and Brooke had kept the kids occupied. Giving his brother a nod, Lucas split up from Brooke as each one of them went to an opposite room out of the suite's two adjacent, yet separate bedrooms, leaving Nathan to fend for himself as Lily demanded to know who exactly he had referred to as being a little monster.

Listening to his brother feigning fright in response to his baby sister's antics and then sending her into a fit of giggles as he tickled her until she had agreed to forgive him, Lucas shook his head in amusement. Had Lily grown around Brooke, her unique personality would have been understandable to him, as the two were so much alike, but knowing that the little girl had grown up having his mother and Andy as role models, he simply couldn't comprehend where she picked up her mannerisms. Still smiling to himself as he thought about his lovable little sister, Lucas began to pack his belongings, suddenly realizing that his swim-suit was not in his room. After a moment, when he remembered that Brooke had put it in the balcony in her room, so it could dry quicker, Lucas dropped the articles of clothing he was holding into his suitcase and then made his way over to her room, laughing out loud when he took in the sight of Lily and Jamie bouncing on the sofa over a helpless-looking Nathan.

"Brooke- I'm coming to get my swim-suit" Lucas announced as he came into her room, already having grown accustomed to the need to refrain from startling Brooke. He knew that during the past week, she had evolved from being the emotional wreck she had turned into after Victoria had abducted her back into being an independent, focused and even happy girl, yet he preferred to be cautious around her just to be on the safe side. She had once again grown so comfortable and calm around him, that he didn't think she would possibly still be jumpy over nothing, which is why his carefree feeling evaporated instantly when he entered Brooke's room and observed her form noticeably tensing up.

"Brooke? Babe, are you alright?" Lucas worriedly questioned, walking up to her hurriedly as he noticed her dabbing under her eyes in an unsuccessful attempt to wipe her tears before he could notice them. "Hey, what's wrong?" he softly asked, his arms circling her form from behind as he hugged her back to his front and rested his chin on her shoulder, "Why are you crying, baby girl?" he further inquired when she just sniffled and wiped her eyes once more.

"I'm just being stupid…" Brooke mumbled, giving Lucas a watery smile when he comfortingly kissed her shoulder.

"If it's making you cry- it's not stupid, Brooke" Lucas sincerely replied, showing her how seriously he was taking the fact that she was upset.

Taking a calming breath and brushing the wet trails from her cheeks, Brooke honestly replied, "I just realized that tomorrow morning we're leaving and it made me understand how much I'm going to miss your mom…" she confessed, causing Lucas to heave a sigh of relief upon realizing that nothing serious was wrong with her. "See? Stupid…" Brooke told him, trying to force a sad smile, and then planted her eyes in the ground, causing him to tighten his hold on her protectively.

"You could never be stupid, Brooke" he insistently stated as he pulled her even closer to him, "The fact that my mom's leaving makes me sad too, but I know that we have Nathan and Haley and that we have each other, so it's all gonna be O.K." he soothingly promised, causing her to nod against him.

"I know… It's just that she's helped me so much this week, I actually felt like I had a real mom, and now-"

"Now nothing will change, Brooke" Lucas and Brooke drew apart from each other in surprise upon realizing that they were no longer alone in the room.

"Karen…" Brooke looked at the older brunette in embarrassment, wondering just how much of their conversation she had heard, "How… how long have you been standing there?" she awkwardly asked, unable to look her in the eye until she heard her response.

"Long enough to understand that there's no way I'm going to Australia tomorrow…" she seriously replied, causing Brooke and Lucas' jaws to drop in shock.

"What are you talking about, Ma?" Lucas questioned with confusion while Brooke simply stared at Karen, too stunned to say anything.

"I have people here who need me" Karen said, giving Brooke a quick look before continuing, "I have responsibilities that I can't just-"

"No!" Brooke cut into her speech, unable to bear the thought of Karen leaving her life and home behind just for her sake, "I was just being emotional because I'm never good with goodbyes, but I'm fine…" she insisted, "You've helped me enough already… Really… I'll admit that I _did _need you when I got here, but you've helped me get back to myself and now I was just being a baby, but I promise that I'm alright and-"

"Brooke" Karen put her hand on the younger brunette's shoulder and halted her ramble, smiling when Brooke's cheeks turned red as she realized that she was once again babbling in front of Karen due to her nervous state, "Honey, I'm glad that you're feeling better and I certainly agree that you've made tremendous progress this past week, but I still want to be around for you for a while."

"But-"

"No, listen" Karen took Brooke's hands in hers and silenced her once again as she made her realize that she was not done talking yet, "You just helped me make up my mind, but Andy and I have been talking about this for a while…" she revealed, now getting both Brooke and Lucas' entire attention, "Lily is about to start school soon and now that Andy is my husband- we have the option to come back to the States and give her the opportunity to grow up with her family surrounding her, without worrying about Andy getting deported…" Karen shared, giving Lucas a loving smile before she continued, "It's been refreshing to live somewhere new, without all the memories I left behind, but I've always wanted all my children to grow up in Tree Hill… I have a family here and I left a life back here, and I think it's time I stop running away from that…" she explained, causing Brooke and Lucas to give her shocked smiles.

"Ma, does this mean that you're really coming back?" Lucas asked, needing to hear it clearly from his mother's mouth before he could allow himself to give in to the bliss that was beginning to bubble inside of him. When she nodded affirmatively, a joyful grin spread out across his face.

Brooke, however, couldn't help but confirm, "So, it's really not just because of me, right?" she hesitantly questioned, needing one last affirmation from Karen's part in order to stop feeling guilty with herself.

Laughing slightly and giving Brooke's hands a supportive squeeze, Karen confirmed, "No, it's not just because of you, Brooke. It was actually something Lily said when I walked into the room that made me realize that now was the time to come back" Karen revealed, putting confused expressions on Brooke and Lucas' faces.

"Oh?" Lucas and Brooke remained puzzled until Karen replied.

"She jumped into my arms and, out of the blue, suddenly said- 'there's no place like home'…"

* * *

The air in New York City was brisk and cool, but Brooke was shivering for a completely different reason. On the one hand, she felt warmth filling her as she marveled over the fact that her loyal friends had all come to the Big Apple with her, to offer their moral support, including Karen and her family, as Lily had insisted that she wanted to see the Statue of Liberty. On the other hand, however, Brooke couldn't help but feel nervous. She knew that she had come a long way since the last time she had seen George and was certainly much more prepared to talk business at her current state, but she still feared of failing and of letting him down after he had given her his trust.

As she stood, facing the _Clothes over Bros'_ headquarters, and stared at the massive skyscraper which hosted the main office of her company, she suddenly felt so small and powerless, that she began to doubt herself all over again. A moment later, however, when a large, warm hand was gently placed on the small of her back, Brooke immediately felt slightly reassured.

"What's going on in that pretty head of yours?" Lucas softly asked, idly stroking her lower back and helping her relax into his side.

"I just want this to go well…" Brooke shared her thoughts, causing Lucas to nod.

"You're going to do great, Brooke" Lucas ascertained, giving her an encouraging smile when she looked up at him, "and I will be there with you, helping you in any way I can" he promised, now putting a smile on Brooke's face.

"Thank you, Lucas" she said, "I don't know what I would have done without you…" she sincerely said, kissing him briefly on the cheek before heading into the building with Lucas following her closely behind, grinning with genuine bliss. He couldn't wipe the smile off of his face as Brooke greeted the receptionist and as they took the long journey up the building in one of the clear-glass elevators, yet once they entered the main office of _Clothes over Bros'_ and he observed what a warm greeting Brooke was receiving from all of her employees, his giddy enthusiasm was replaced with a different kind of happiness- one that warmed his heart even more, especially when he saw how genuinely touched Brooke appeared to be due to the warm welcome she received.

As George entered the office's main hall and greeted Brooke with a hug, Lucas' delight only increased, as he once again received proof that Brooke had indeed left her company in good, caring hands. After giving George a handshake and smiling at the rest of the company's workers, Lucas followed George and Brooke into the main conference room, where Rachel was already seated, along with several employees, as they all waited for Brooke. Seating himself by Brooke's side, Lucas gave her hand a supportive squeeze under the table, wanting to convey one last act of reassurance before the meeting would begin. He felt Brooke giving him a soft squeeze back, just as George cleared his throat, and then the room grew silent as they all averted their attention to him.

"I would like to start with telling Brooke how glad we all are for having her back" George thoughtfully commenced with yet another welcoming gesture, putting a genuinely happy smile on Brooke's face, "we have all missed your presence, and your designs certainly inspired our marketing team to come up with some wonderful and creative ideas for campaigns" he said, filling Brooke with pride, yet only until he once again began to speak, "However, this weekend we encountered a problem…"

"What problem?" Brooke frowned and hesitantly asked, uncertain whether she really wanted to know what he was talking about. George, nonetheless, sighed and then began to explain.

"Ted Smith announced this weekend that _Tiffany's Closet_'s spring line will be introduced next week in several high publicized runway shows. If we wait until reviews for his line will come out, and no word about _Clothes over Bros'_ spring line will be released, fashion critics will undoubtedly side with his claims that our company is a sunken ship" George said, and then added, "Such claims will raise panic amongst investors and our stocks will thus probably drop in reality, preventing us from manufacturing the _Clothes for Bros'_ line…" he predicted, causing Brooke's eyes to widen.

"So that's it? Just because we've been low on publicity for this past season now the company will tank?" she questioned incredulously, feeling fury filling her body as she suddenly realized that this was exactly what her attacker had wanted. George, however, shook his head quickly, before her thoughts could get the better of her.

"No, Brooke" he calmingly said, "It just means that we have to work quickly, so we can create a buzz regarding the _Clothes for Bros'_ line before _Tiffany's Closet_'s shows. If we will get the word out that our company has made a revolutionary entry into the world of men's fashion, I'm assuming that critics will still be busy raving our unexpected move next week, and therefore yet another predictable spring line will seem bland in comparison…" George elaborated on his plan, putting back the twinkle of hopefulness into Brooke's eyes, as she realized that they were still in the game, that she hadn't killed her company with her leave of absence.

"That sounds like a great idea, George" she gladly complimented, causing him to smile before he spoke.

"I'm glad you think so, Brooke, because we've already arranged a press conference for you" he told her, yet her surprise multiplied when he added, "We want you to introduce _Clothes for Bros'_ to the public tonight."

"Tonight?" Brooke immediately tensed up and called out in surprise, the panic in her voice causing Lucas' hand to move to her back and start rubbing it in comforting circles, as he tried to get her to calm down.

"George, are you sure that's really a good idea?" one of the employees, which Lucas wasn't familiar with, questioned, looking at Brooke skeptically, causing him to frown. Lucas could see that she wasn't trying to be unkind, but that she was doubting Brooke's ability to handle the press conference, and no matter what her intentions were- he knew that she was reducing Brooke's confidence even more. Feeling like Brooke only needed supportive people around her at that moment, Lucas was about to say something, yet George beat him to it.

"Elena, I'd like to have a word with Brooke privately" he strictly said. He wasn't being harsh, but his tone left no room for arguing and therefore she immediately nodded and left the room, along with all the other workers, leaving Brooke and George alone with Lucas and Rachel. George waited until the door closed behind the last worker and then came to sit closer to Brooke, looking her in the eye as he once again spoke.

"Listen, Brooke- I know that this has been sprung on you without preparation, but it's important that you do this and I have complete faith in you" he sincerely told her, taking her free hand in his to convey his sincerity, "If you feel like this is too much, then someone else will speak in your place tonight, but I feel like it would be an important message to show the public that you're back with _Clothes over Bros'_, despite what Victoria and Ted Smith have been saying" he clarified the importance of her presence to Brooke, giving her palm a soft squeeze and afterwards releasing it and giving Brooke the space to decide for herself.

Brooke remained silent for several moments, trying to wrap her mind around what she had been told. She had known that at a certain point- she would need to face the world yet again, but she just didn't expect that moment to arrive so abruptly. Raising her eyes to look at the people surrounding her, Brooke's gaze locked with Rachel's caring eyes, which were wordlessly trying to tell her that she could do this, that they would all have her back as she once again returned to the eyes of the media for the first time since she had been attacked in her store. She suddenly felt like Rachel was also telling her that if she had overcome her own trauma and had come back to New York, where she had over-dosed and nearly died, then Brooke was also capable of stepping out of her comfort zone and facing her fears. Realizing that it was time for her to prove herself and convincing herself that it would all be alright, Brooke slowly nodded, building up her courage then and there, in front of her friends' eyes.

"You're right, George. Let's do this" she said, the old fierce spark returning to her gaze more and more as she grew determined to come back and to make George's plan work. She was Brooke Davis, and Brooke Davis was strong and fearless. She was Brooke Davis, and she was going to prove the world that she was back, that she was ready to change the world of fashion once again…

* * *

Standing in back of the auditorium that had been booked for her press conference, Brooke closed her eyes and took several calming breaths. Opening her eyes and glancing at the auditorium, she could see reporters flowing into the room and gradually filling it, taking seat after seat- until the entire hall was jam-packed. The news of her presence at the conference traveled fast, and therefore- instead of the small press meeting she was hoping to hold, every reporter and fashion critic that respected himself or herself made sure to attend the meeting and to personally see what Brooke had to say, after she had been absent from the public eye for so long. Brooke therefore knew that she truly had to do well and had no room to make any mistakes, as the majority of the entertainment reporters that could influence the public's opinion of her were going to be facing her as she spoke, airing her speech live to their networks, or spreading the news all across the web shortly afterwards. George, who had predicted how stressful the conference might be, had promised Brooke that he would face the reporters along with her and would shelter her from the need to respond to unnecessary questions, yet even so- Brooke couldn't help but feel nervous as she observed the growing crowd that formed in front of her.

"I thought that it was my son's job to brood…" the warm, familiar voice of Karen Roe Hargrove made Brooke whirl around and feel calmer instantly, as she saw the older woman smiling at her reassuringly.

"I'm just a little tense, but I'll be O.K." Brooke promised with a smile, yet the stress brightening her irises into a paler shade of hazel immediately gave her true feelings away, causing Karen to take her hands and hold onto them supportively.

"Well then- don't be tense, Brooke, because I know you'll do just fine. You have come such a long way and have been doing so well, that I have absolute faith in you" Karen encouraged her, causing Brooke's eyes to glaze over slightly at the motherly care she received.

"Thank you, Karen. That means a lot" Brooke expressed her gratitude for Karen's kind words, causing the older woman to smile adoringly.

"You are welcome, Brooke Davis" she replied, yet was quickly interrupted by two childish voices.

"It's Brooke _Penelope _Davis" Karen and Brooke averted their gazes to the source of the voices, finding a giggling Jamie Scott and Lily Roe Hargrove right before them.

"My middle name is yet another proof of how much my mother _loves_ me…" Brooke muttered sarcastically, seemingly to herself, yet Karen and Lily caught onto her words. While Karen couldn't help but smile, Lily frowned in response.

"Lucas' middle name is Eugene, but that doesn't mean that mommy doesn't love him" the little girl informed Brooke, putting a stunned expression on her face and making her utterly speechless. She averted her gaze to Karen and looked at her apologetically, signaling with her eyes that she had meant no offense and causing her to laugh humorously at the entire scenario.

Sensing Brooke's still existent discomfort, Karen gave her a reassuring nod and then turned to look at the two small children before her. "I thought that you two were supposed to wait in back with Andy…" she pointedly said, struggling to maintain a straight face when she observed how skillfully Jamie and Lily managed to go from looking playful and mischievous to appearing as innocent as possible.

"We just wanted to wish Aunt Brooke good luck…" Jamie piped in, looking at Karen with his blue Scott orbs, which never failed in melting any adult's heart.

"Thank you, buddy. That's very nice of you" Brooke expressed her genuine appreciation, accepting him into her arms when he came up to hug her, and calling out in surprise when Lily unexpectedly launched herself into her arms as well. "Thanks to you too, princess" Brooke said in a strained voice, realizing that the little girl was seeking her attention as well, yet struggling to speak with the way both kids were playfully squeezing her.

"What are you two up to this time?" Lucas' voice suddenly filled the room, and before she could even see him- Brooke already felt relieved, as the four little arms gripping onto her waist finally released her, enabling her to breathe again. As she turned around to face Lucas, she couldn't help but chuckle upon finding both children lifted up from the floor in a fit of giggles, each one securely supported by one of Lucas' muscular arms. However, before Brooke got a chance to say anything- Haley and Nathan entered the room and Haley instantly called out in dismay.

"Lucas Scott- what are you doing to my son?" she demanded to know, looking at him like a teacher who was scolding a bullying pupil.

"It's Lucas _Eugene_ Scott" Lily made sure to point out as her older brother carefully put both her and Jamie down, receiving a playful glare from him.

"I was preventing those two monkeys from choking Brooke" Lucas informed Haley as he playfully tickled both children, causing her to now stare at her son with the same expression with which she had been looking at his uncle.

"James Lucas Scott- is that true?" she strictly asked, forcing Brooke to come up to her and to reassuringly speak up.

"Hales, it's O.K.- they were just playing around…" Brooke honestly said, yet as she looked at her, Haley saw the nerves hiding in the back of her eyes and could tell that Brooke desperately needed several moments to collect herself before starting the conference, without having the kids hovering over her.

Taking both children by the hand, Haley temptingly said, "Alright, you two- let's go get some snacks from the V.I.P. room in back" causing Jamie and Lily's eyes to lighten up. As the both of them started tugging Haley out of the room, she shouted a "good luck, tigger" over her shoulder and shone Brooke a smile.

"Come on, mommy!" before the three of them disappeared, Lily managed to demand, the insistent tone of her voice causing all those present to share a laugh.

"Duty calls…" Karen said, shaking her head at her daughter's antics and causing Brooke to nod understandingly, as if to reassure her that she would be fine without her. Karen, however, couldn't leave before she pulled Brooke into her arms one more time and whispered into her ear, "I'm so proud of you, Brooke, and I know that you'll do great". Only when Brooke shone her a grateful, beaming smile, did Karen finally feel like she could go and help Haley with her feisty daughter, and disappeared into the back room.

Left alone with the two Scott brothers, Brooke could once again hear the noise caused by the many reporters who were waiting for her at the auditorium. She momentarily shivered as she glanced at them and noticed just how full the room truly was, but then forced herself to take a deep breath, telling herself to calm down. She turned around to look at Nathan and Lucas' appearances and, upon taking in the way her _Clothes for Bros'_ prototypes complimented them, she approvingly said, "You two look nice…", shining them a nervous smile.

"So do you, pretty girl" Lucas replied, smiling as he took in the way her tensed-up porcelain skin tinted into a soft shade of red as she blushed, "Now, come on- down be nervous. You'll do great!" he added supportively, expressing his genuine belief in her.

"Yeah, Brooke- you don't get to be nervous. You told us that we were going to model your clothes for your board, not for the whole world to see… We are the ones who are allowed to feel nervous right now…" Nathan teased, finally putting a more relaxed and humored smile on Brooke's face.

"Well, hot shot, I'm just doing the world a favor and introducing three innate models that should have been discovered years ago…" Brooke joked back, causing the two men before her to chuckle, just as Owen joined them, wearing _Clothes for Bros'_ designs as well.

"I can't believe I let you talk me into doing this…" he muttered with discomfort, glancing towards the crowd and instantly growing tense, "You owe me big time, Brooke" he announced, causing the Scott brothers to share a laugh.

"Fine- I'll make sure to bring a _really_ nice gift when you and Rachel get married some day" Brooke teased him in response, only increasing the laughter in the room. However, while Nathan was laughing purely out of amusement, Lucas' laughter was also derived from relief. He had dearly missed this carefree, lively version of Brooke, and was beyond pleased to see how she had finally come back, lighting up the room with her animated personality. He could tell that she was nervous about the presentation she was about to hold, yet that with her friends surrounding and supporting her, she felt secure enough to open up and put herself out there again. By simply looking at her, Lucas could see that she felt safe to once again be herself and live her life, and he simply couldn't be happier.

Wishing her good luck and receiving an excited, anxious wink from her in response, Lucas continued watching Brooke as she finally stepped out onto the stage with George and was welcomed with dozens of flashes that flickered from all over the auditorium, as every single photographer present made sure to take picture after picture of her. He held his breath for an instant, as he watched a look of panic flash in Brooke's eyes momentarily, yet once George gave Brooke's palm a secretive, supportive squeeze that indeed managed to noticeably reassure her, Lucas heaved out a sigh of relief, inwardly thanking the kind man by Brooke's side for being so observant. His state of tense attentiveness quickly evaporated altogether, as Brooke began to speak, managing to remain completely confident, charming and graceful as she explained that she had indeed taken a leave of absence, but that she was back at _Clothes over Bros'_ now, with a surprise she wanted to share with all those present. Knowing that it was his cue, Lucas lined up in front of Nathan and Owen, and stepped on stage with confidence as Brooke announced that she wished to show the world what she had been working on while she kept a low profile. He couldn't miss the shocked gasps and numerous flashes he received from the crowd when he marched across the stage along with Nathan and Owen, yet what truly got his adrenaline going was not the audience's reaction, but rather the look of pure satisfaction and happiness that was plastered all over Brooke's face.

Lucas spent the rest of the press conference in total euphoria, standing proudly by his fellow _Clothes for Bros'_ "models" and glancing at Brooke every now and then, as he couldn't get enough of the wide, dimpled smile she was finally fashioning, even throughout the entire Q&A session she has been so reluctant to hold, yet managed to pull off with perfect grace, without even needing to address the reason for her absence, which she hadn't been intending to reveal to the public. When George finally announced that the press conference had come to an end and that they would properly launch the new men's line several weeks later, Lucas felt himself filling with pride as the entire crowd began clapping their hands for Brooke with clear enthusiasm. He quickly got off-stage along with Owen and Nathan, watching Brooke as she had her moment- standing there with excited, sparkling eyes and just looking at the crowd that was applauding her. He smiled joyfully when Brooke finally nodded at the reporters with gratitude and made her way towards him with George by her side. Instantly when she was no longer visible to the cameras, Lucas engulfed her in a big, proud hug, lifting her off the ground and twirling her around in his arms.

"You did absolutely great, Brooke!" he joyfully told her, his happiness so contagious that Brooke couldn't help but giggle blissfully. When his head began spinning slightly, Lucas finally stilled his movements and carefully put Brooke down, giving her a genuinely happy smile and then releasing her, so she could be congratulated by their other friends as well, as they had all gathered around by now, waiting for their turn. Taking several steps back and watching Brooke getting embraced by their friends and family, Lucas felt perfectly happy- for Brooke was surrounded by all those who loved her, for Brooke was finally getting the happiness she deserved, for Brooke was finally genuinely smiling and back to being his Cheery, who he loved with all his heart.

* * *

Lucas chuckled to himself as he supported a slightly intoxicated Brooke and carefully guided her back to her East Village apartment, where they had been residing along with Andy, Karen and Lily during this stay. The six young adults in the group had decided to go out to celebrate the extremely successful press conference Brooke had had, while Karen and Andy volunteered to take Jamie with them to Brooke's apartment, along with Lily. While at first Brooke had been reluctant to leave them behind and to go somewhere where Rachel might feel tempted to relapse, she had been quickly convinced by all of her friends that it would be good for her to go out and have some fun. By the end of the evening, after the six of them had gone to a fancy bar that would always treat Brooke like royalty when she would come to New York, not only had Brooke enjoyed herself, but she had actually allowed herself to loosen up and drink a little, just so she would have a little more fun. She hadn't overdone herself, but due to the fact that she had gone a relatively long time without drinking any alcohol, the few drinks she did consume had had a much greater effect on her than usually. She was therefore quite giggly and silly around all of her friends, and rather touchy-feely around Lucas, making him enjoy his evening much more, without the need to drink anything at all. She had maintained physical closeness with Lucas when they had parted ways with their friends and entered a cab, snuggling up to him and giggling against his skin for no reason at all- making him shiver. However, by the time the cab had reached their destination, she seemed to have grown sleepy, and had been simply resting against Lucas. He had therefore gently aided her into the building, unable to help but chuckle at the way she was almost falling asleep against him, worn out by the long, eventful day she had had.

When Lucas turned on the light upon entering the apartment, Brooke winced against him. "My head hurts, Luke…" she complained, curling herself into him and causing him to laugh slightly as he comfortingly rubbed up and down her back.

"Sit down and I'll get you some coffee, babe, alright?" he advised, kissing her on top of her head when she slightly whined in response, afterwards detaching herself from him as he went to the kitchen, to prepare some coffee for her. He had been so busy performing the task at hand that he hadn't noticed the fact that she had slipped out of the room. Only when he had finished and walked to the sitting area of the room, expecting to find her waiting for him there, did he suddenly realize that she wasn't there.

"Brooke?" he softly called out, not wanting to raise his voice, as the lights in both guest bedrooms were off, signaling that his family members were all sleeping. He inquisitively surveyed the room with his eyes, feeling his breath hitch in his throat and all the color drain from his face upon noticing that the balcony's door was open, letting a cool breeze into the room. Realizing what an unsteady Brooke and an open balcony on such a tall building could potentially equal, Lucas raced over there instantly, Brooke's coffee cup still held in his hand.

Upon finding her standing there and staring into the dark night's sky, Lucas heaved a sigh of relief, yet worriedly questioned her, "Brooke, what are you doing out here?"

Averting her gaze, which was now steady and focused, over to Lucas, Brooke gave him a tired, yet sober, smile and simply said, "I just needed some air… I'm fine, Luke" she assured, thankfully taking the cup from his hand and sipping the warm drink.

As she stood there and drank her coffee, Lucas couldn't help but stare at Brooke, taking in her undoubted beauty; even though her hair was now loosely resting against her shoulders, her dress was slightly rumpled and her make-up had gotten smudged, she still managed to take his breath away. Unable to help himself, Lucas took a step towards her, now standing right in front of her, and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, making her look up at him questioningly and immediately get caught in his emotion-filled eyes.

"I just wanted to tell you that you have come such a long way, Brooke" Lucas softly said, his hands instinctively coming to Brooke's hips and his thumbs starting to rub soothing circles against her skin, "I was scared for a while that this day might not arrive, but today we finally got you back… I watched you speaking on that stage today, and you were beautiful and brilliant and brave, just like I remembered…" he told Brooke, touching her heart and causing her eyes to glaze over with emotion, "I am so proud of you" he added, unconsciously moving his hand up to her face and caressing her porcelain cheek, "Pretty girl…"

The two of them stared at one another for several long moments, each caught in the other's emotion-filled eyes. As Lucas began moving his face towards hers, a battle of emotions took place inside of Brooke's head and she was torn between the fear of letting Lucas in and the growing lust she felt towards him, which only increased due to her slightly buzzed state. When his lips were merely inches away from hers and she could feel Lucas' rugged breaths tickling her skin, all of her insecurities and rational thoughts flew out of her head and she finally gave into her heart's desire, allowing Lucas to capture her lips in his in a soft, loving kiss. As Lucas gently parted her lips and began caressing her with his tongue, Brooke involuntarily moaned and melted into him, now feeling intoxicated for an entirely different reason. She could sense Lucas' muscular arms strengthening their grasp on her limp frame, making her feel so safe and secure that she suddenly asked herself why had she pushed him away, when she felt so cherished in his arms.

The two of them had been so caught up in their intimate moment, that neither one heard the soft pitter-patter of footsteps advancing their way until the figure that came up to them paused by the entrance to the balcony and gasped, causing them to release one another and avert their gazes in surprise.

"Oh, I'm so sorry…" Karen apologized uncomfortably, feeling bad for interrupting their private moment, "I heard some noise, and I just wanted to make sure that it was really you two…" she explained the reason for her interference, as Brooke considerably blushed and buried her face in Lucas' chest in embarrassment, feeling like she did as a teenager getting caught while making out with Lucas all over again.

"It's O.K…." Lucas assured with a chuckle, speaking both to his mother and to the girl hiding against his chest. He gave Karen a reassuring nod and encouragingly stroked Brooke's back, looking down at her with adoration.

"I see I don't have to ask whether you two had fun tonight…" Karen lightly commented, causing Brooke to groan uncomfortably and Lucas to laugh out loud. Joining her son and laughing as well, Karen gave Lucas a nod and approvingly said, "It's about time…" and then disappeared back into the guest bedroom, leaving Lucas and Brooke alone again.

"You can come out now, pretty girl. My mother is gone…" Lucas humorously told Brooke, unable to prevent himself from laughing upon noticing how flushed Brooke's cheeks had become when she finally did detach herself from his chest.

"That was _so _embarrassing… I can't believe your mother caught us making out again…" Brooke awkwardly said, remembering all too vividly the many times Karen and Keith had caught her and Lucas in inappropriate situations when they had been teenagers.

"Babe, you do realize that we're not in high school anymore, right? At my age, my mom _wants_ me to have a love-life…" he reminded her, yet Brooke shook her head.

"It's still embarrassing…" she told him, causing him to give her a reassuring kiss on top of her head. "At least she approves of us this time…" after a short silence, Brooke was finally able to look at the bright side, yet now Lucas couldn't help but speak up seriously.

"How about you, Brooke?" he questioned, and once she raised her eyebrows with confusion, he added, "How do you feel about this?" he needed to know.

Looking at the soulful, mesmerizing blue orbs of the man before her, Brooke took several moments to think, putting all the playfulness aside and truly reaching in, in order to discover what she truly felt. Suddenly noticing the protective, loving way Lucas was holding onto her, which was so natural that she didn't even realize he had been doing so, Brooke softly smiled. Thinking about how he had been there for her since he had learned about her first attack and realizing just how much love and care he had showered her with throughout that entire rough time, Brooke finally knew what her answer was.

"You fought for me this time, and you saved me from all of it…" she simply said, realizing that even though as a teenage boy, Lucas might have not been able to give her what she had needed, as a young man he was all she had ever wished for.

Smiling blissfully, as he knew what her words meant, Lucas plainly replied, "I _am_ the guy for you, Brooke Davis…" and then he crushed his lips to hers passionately, showing her once again just how much he loved her…

* * *

**AN: Well... I know it's taken ages, but Brooke and Lucas are finally together, and I promise that this time- it's for good! There is still some drama in this story (maybe even in the next chapter...), but throughout everything- Brooke and Lucas will remain strong as a couple and will gradually get closer and closer. ;-) I really want to know what you guys thought of this chapter, and in general- your words always make my days seem brighter, so please review! ;-)**

**Also- those of you who also enjoy reading Brulian fics- I recently worte one named "Breathe" about episode 8X11 (including much more involved versions of Nathan and Haley and the hospital scene I know I wanted to see...). For those of you who haven't read it yet, I would love for you to read it and to tell me what you thought (especially since I almost always write Brucas fics). ;-)**


	41. Chapter 41

**I realize that most of you must have given up on this story by now, but as I promised- I haven't forgotten about it and I AM updating. I know exactly how this story should go all the way until the end, I just felt like the way I worded this chapter at first didn't do it justice, so it took me a while to change stuff around to be pleased enough with it. Anyway- here it is! Since I haven't updated in a while and since this chapter refers to certain occurrences in early chapters- I would suggest to those of you who feel like they forgot what has happened in this story to browse through chapter 15 (you'll see why throughout this chapter). Anyway- enjoy and please tell me how this turned out! ;-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 41**

The clinking of Rachel's stiletto heels could be heard vividly as she quickly walked into Brooke's East Village apartment and made her way into Brooke's bedroom, yet the duo she was about to confront remained fast asleep, oblivious of the storm that was coming their way. It was the day of their flight back to Tree Hill and they would need to leave for the airport four hours later, yet Rachel was not exactly coming to make sure that Brooke and Lucas had packed their bags…

Upon entering Brooke's bedroom and finding Brooke and Lucas cuddled up together, sleeping soundly, Rachel smirked to herself for a moment before advancing towards the room's window and pulling the shades aside, thus abruptly enabling the sunlight to pour into the room uninterruptedly. With the bed conveniently positioned straight in the course of the sunbeams, it took only several moments until Brooke and Lucas were groaning in irritation.

"Too… much… light…" Brooke sleepily grumbled, burying her face in Lucas' neck in an attempt to seek refuge from the brightness, yet just as she was getting comfortable and falling asleep again – Rachel's voice created yet another disturbance to her slumber.

"I just don't want you to hurt your eyes while you read the news…" Rachel feigned thoughtfulness as she tossed a newspaper onto Brooke's bed, once again startling the couple awake.

"What the hell, Rae?" Brooke whined with annoyance as the flying object hit her side, causing her to spring into a sitting position. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she still seemed to be half-asleep until Rachel spoke, capturing her attention at once.

"I could ask you the same thing, Miss Cover-Story-Girl!" Rachel replied with a raised eyebrow, causing both Brooke and Lucas to frown in confusion. Stretching his arm over Brooke's form, Lucas grabbed the newspaper and smoothed it out, so they could both see what Rachel was so worked up about. It didn't take more than two seconds before the sight before them registered to Brooke and Lucas, causing their eyes to widen in shock.

"Oh my god!" Brooke gasped, staring at the center headline of the newspaper in disbelief.

_**Clothes **__**and**__** Bros: Fashion-Icon Brooke Davis Shifts Focus over to Men – Both with Surprising Men's Line and with New Love Interest**_

"What the hell?" Brooke exclaimed once again, taking in the headline and the two illustrative photos – one of her at the press conference, and one of her locking lips with Lucas in her apartment's balcony. While the first photo was exactly what she had wanted to see in the news the day following her press conference, the second was the last thing she wanted or expected to find imprinted for the whole world to see.

"My point exactly" Rachel replied, crossing her arms over her chest, "This is not the way I thought I'd be notified that you and Lucas are back together" she said, giving Brooke a pointed look, yet a hint of a smirk was still evident on her lips.

"This _isn't_ the way you should have been notified!" Brooke responded, starting to get all worked up, "I can't believe that these creepy photographers were stalking us last night! Damn it – I should have known that they would do that!" she rambled to herself, putting smiles on both Rachel and Lucas' faces, "How could we be so stupid to kiss outside last night after we saw paparazzis following us all over the place?" she questioned herself, causing Lucas to chuckle, yet to pull her frame closer to his, for comfort.

"Do you regret that we kissed, pretty girl?" Lucas asked as he leaned his chin on Brooke's shoulder, already knowing the answer to his question, yet waiting to hear the response from Brooke.

"No…" she immediately replied. Suddenly realizing that her hysterics might be hurting Lucas' feelings, she turned to him and made sure to clarify, "I don't regret it at all, Luke… I want to be with you, but I just wasn't ready for the media to once again meddle in my personal life…" she explained. "I knew I was going to get attention because of my new line, which was good for the company, but I was just hoping that I could limit that focus _only_ to my professional life…" she apologetically said, causing him to give her a reassuring pat and to calmingly speak.

"I know, babe" he expressed his understanding, "but if you're confident that you want this, then don't let these people get to you. I'm just so happy that we're together now, that I don't even care if the whole world knows it" he said, causing her to smile and relax slightly against him.

"You're right, Luke, I'm sorry…" she agreed, leaning towards him to peck his lips and sighing contently when he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him.

"Well" Rachel interrupted their private moment by speaking once again, "Then I guess now you two won't be bothered by the fact that the entrance to the building looks like the freakin' red carpet with the amount of photographers waiting for you down there…" she informed them, causing Brooke to groan in annoyance and to bury herself into Lucas' frame, where she felt safe and protected from the rest of the world.

"Great…" Brooke grumbled with displeasure, calming slightly only when Lucas began to trace soothing patterns on her back.

"It's going to be alright, pretty girl. We'll just have the doorman help us out through the back exit without those idiots even knowing that they're waiting for nothing…" he tried to cheer her up, causing Brooke to smile at him gratefully for his care and attempts to lift her spirits up. Curling her body further into Lucas' warm frame, Brooke felt like she could lose herself in Lucas' loving, mesmerizing blue orbs until Rachel once again spoke up, averting her attention away from Lucas.

"Well, I guess that this is my cue to leave you two love-birds alone. Just remember to keep it quiet – there are children in the house…" she remarked, causing Brooke to frown.

"Rache…" she threw the blanket aside and advanced towards Rachel, attempting to reach out to her and understand the reason for her snide remark. Once Rachel spoke, however, she froze in her place.

"You two are actually fully clothed?" the redhead observed, "That's a surprise…" she added, causing Brooke to take an instinctive step back and to stare at her tentatively.

"Are you mad, Rae?" she genuinely wanted to know, yet didn't give Rachel the chance to respond before she added, "Because this really isn't how we planned for you to find out…" she made sure to tell Rachel, looking at her tensely as she waited for her response.

Much to Brooke's relief, Rachel's lips quickly curled into a smirk as she replied, "I'm not mad, Brooke, I just reserve the right to tease you two now as much as I want…" she informed Brooke, "If the whole world gets to do that, then so do I…" she said, finally enabling Brooke to understand that she had been joking with her all along.

"I guess that's fair…" Brooke replied, laughing slightly.

"Good" Rachel smirked with satisfaction, now turning her attention to the blond man who was still in bed, watching the two of them bickering in amusement, "By the way, Lucas – if you hurt her again – you're dead" she stated matter-of-factly, causing Lucas to feign hurt, yet before he could even think up of a witty remark of his own, Karen's voice suddenly filled the room, announcing her presence.

"Oh, I think my son has learned from his mistakes by now. Isn't that right, Lucas?" she addressed him, causing him to groan.

"Why is nobody on my side?" he demanded to know, frowning slightly at his mother.

"I'm on your side, Broody" Brooke immediately reassured him, giving him a wink and a dimpled smile that immediately softened his features.

"Thank you, pretty girl" he expressed his gratitude, yet grew apprehensive when he observed the mischievous twinkle in Brooke's eyes.

"So you'd truly better not mess things up with me again, because apparently – without me you'll really be in trouble…" she playfully commented, causing Lucas to once again groan as he fell back into a lying position on the bed.

"It's really not fair how you all enjoy ganging up on me…" he grouchily said, just as Lily and Jamie appeared at the room's doorstep. The two children stared at him questioningly and once their curious gazes wandered off to Brooke, they were met with playful, twinkling hazel eyes that immediately ignited the mischief within them. With a nod at the silent gestures Brooke was communicating to them, all three shared a playful smile and within moments – lunged at Lucas, trapping him in bed and bouncing all over him, much to Karen and Rachel's amusement.

"Crazy girl – what are you doing?" Lucas breathlessly questioned through his shock, laughter and struggle to move with the way the three figures of his loved ones were positioned on top of him.

With a shrug of the head, Brooke simply said, "Ganging up on you. Apparently, I enjoy doing that…" she teased him with a wink, instantly squealing as Lucas flipped them over, so that now she was trapped under him.

"Oh yeah? Well, I think I like ganging up on you too…" he replied, bending down to kiss her and causing her to laugh wholeheartedly. As he took in the sight of Brooke so blissful and carefree, Lucas smiled to himself. After Brooke had bounced back from the tough emotional experiences that she had been through, succeeded in her press conference and most importantly, agreed to take him back – Lucas was convinced that they had finally gotten their happy ending. After all that they had been through, from now and on they would surely only experience this kind of joy. Or so he thought…

* * *

Lucas absentmindedly stroked Brooke's back and smiled to himself as he looked through the airplane window that was adjacent to his seat. He could already see miniature versions of North Carolina houses, which warmed his heart, as the sight of them informed him that he was nearing his home. He looked down at his girlfriend, whose legs were resting over his lap and whose head was laying on top of his shoulder, and he couldn't help but lean down and kiss her on top of her head, receiving a content sigh in response.

"Thank you for everything you've been doing for me during this trip, Luke. It's been simply perfect" Brooke quietly murmured into his shoulder, her eyes shut and a smile creeping up to her lips as she enjoyed resting against him.

"No problem, baby" he replied, kissing her on top of her head again, and then countered with a grateful statement of his own, "Thank you for taking me back and giving us another chance. You have no idea how happy I am now that we are back together."

"Well then- enlighten me- how happy are you, Broody?" Brooke finally opened her eyes, teasingly kinking her eyebrow at him, but receiving a genuine and heartfelt response from him despite her light tone.

"I feel like you've given me my 'happily ever after', pretty girl" Lucas said, pulling Brooke closer to his form and reveling in her closeness to him. At least until he noticed the mischievous look in her eyes…

"I'm sure that 'happily ever after' also includes _certain things_ that we still didn't get to do this time…" Brooke whispered into his ear, gently grinding her upper half into him for emphasis and causing him to instinctively tighten his grip on her as he attempted to stifle a groan and to control the urges that were arising in his body.

"You are such a tease, Brooke Davis…" he complained, his voice dipping low from arousal yet remaining quiet, so only she would notice her immediate effect on him.

Giggling as she felt Lucas tracing random patterns on her back in an attempt to calm himself down, Brooke leaned closer to him and gave his neck a gentle kiss. "I'm sorry, Broody" she whispered softly into his skin, "I've missed you, but I just couldn't get into it with the risk of having your baby sister run into our room or having Karen catch us… again…" she quietly said, her face contorting awkwardly as she recalled that very embarrassing moment from her teenage years.

Unable to help himself, Lucas let out a loud chuckle at the sight of Brooke's extremely flushed cheeks, but made sure to encouragingly pat her hip. "I know, babe. It's O.K…." he reassured her, "We'll have all the time in the world for that once we get back home…" he added with a smirk, pulling her slightly tighter against him and causing her to giggle contently and then snuggle further into him and close her eyes again as she enjoyed their closeness to one another. They fell into a comfortable silence, until Lucas once again spoke softly.

"Tree Hill will feel ten times more like home, now that my mom, Lily and Andy are back" he shared his thoughts with Brooke, causing her dimples to deepen as her smile widened even more.

"I know, Luke. I have a feeling that you're right- that everything will finally be the way it should be" she said, finally stepping out of her playful façade and sounding serious "I really think that from now on- everything will be just perfect…"

* * *

_"Brooke- over here!"_

_"How long have you two been dating, Brooke?"_

_"To your left, Brooke! Smile to the camera!"_

_"Is this your boyfriend, Brooke?"_

Internally groaning with irritation as the numerous flashing cameras practically blinded her sight, Brooke forced herself to keep a graceful façade and to plaster a smile on her face as Lucas held her hand tightly and paved their way out of Tree Hill's airport, which was jam-packed with paparazzi photographers. Glancing sideways, she relaxed in relief as she noticed that the rest of the group had managed to dodge the photographers and advance towards the building's exit uninterruptedly. Reassured with the knowledge that her friends were not disturbed due to her celebrity status and knowing that her reaction was bound to be plastered all over magazines nationwide, Brooke managed to keep her smile intact and to let out a civil "Have a good day, guys", before Lucas guided her into a taxi and away from the chaotic commotion. Only once the taxi sped off and she was certain that she was out of the photographers' sight, Brooke allowed herself to slouch into her seat and rub her hands over her face.

"Well, this was certainly _not _the way I was expecting to be welcomed back to Tree Hill…" she tried to joke, intending to laugh the whole ordeal off, yet her statement caused Lucas to tense angrily and to put a protective hand on her shoulder.

"Are you O.K., babe?" he sincerely questioned, massaging her shoulder supportively as thoughts about the mass of gossip reporters they had just escaped disturbed his mind.

"Of course I am, Broody" Brooke immediately replied, averting her gaze over to him as she felt his hand kneading her skin with slightly more force. "Luke…" as she took in his tense, dissatisfied expression, she became serious, "It's fine… really…" she tried to assure him, yet he still wasn't appeased.

"I just hate how those people think that it's alright to shamelessly bother you like that…" Lucas muttered, touching Brooke's heart with the way he cared for her comfort and wellbeing.

"Sadly- that's the way these people earn their living…" she said, "And I've learned to accept that this is a part of the amazing life I have due to the way I chose to earn mine…" she tried to get him to lighten up. When a scowl was still plastered over his features, Brooke leaned into him, pecking his lips and touching his cheek gently, "Baby- it's really fine. Just relax…" she murmured as she tried to coax him, trailing her way over to his neck, where she intimately nuzzled and kissed his skin.

"Relax, huh?" Lucas felt all of his tension slipping away in response to Brooke's touch, which both soothed him and had yet another quite apparent effect on him.

"Yeah, Broody" Brooke replied, her raspy, sensual voice causing him to stiffen, yet for an entirely different reason than before. Noticing her obvious effect on him, Brooke smirked and added, "We'll be home soon, and then I can truly help you… relax…" she said, slowly drawing her words.

"I think I like that idea…" Lucas breathlessly let out as Brooke continued trailing kisses over his skin, "What did you have in mind?" he asked suggestively.

"Well…" Brooke drew slightly away from his skin, yet remained close enough that every word that she uttered let out a gentle breath that tickled his skin and sent pleasant chills down his spine, "I can pour us both a nice glass of wine" she began.

"That sounds nice…" Lucas absentmindedly replied, urging her to keep talking.

"And then I can help you get rid of all this tension in your muscles…" she said. Her smirk widened as Lucas closed his eyes, probably envisioning her words, and she then teasingly added, "With a massage, of course…"

As Lucas opened his eyes and all but glared at her, she gave him the most innocent dimpled smile she could muster, causing him to shake his head and to expectantly ask, "Anything else?"

Enjoying how worked up she had gotten him, she grinned seductively and replied, "Well… A shower could always be a great way to relax…" she offered, giggling as he groaned. She was about to save him from his misery and add 'together', but Lucas spoke before she got the chance to say anything.

"You're telling me to take a cold shower, Brooke? Really?" he asked, growing frustrated with her teasing words.

Shrugging innocently, Brooke playfully responded, "You could do that… That is, if you prefer a cold shower over a warm one, with me in it…" she offered, putting the expectant smile back on Lucas' face.

"Now you're talking!" he sounded satisfied again, pulling her to him and squeezing her thigh affectionately, earning a happy giggle from his girlfriend.

Their playful banter had naturally died down as they grew quiet, relishing in the simplicity of being held in each other's arms and just being content. As Brooke's house finally became visible, Lucas looked down at the girl in his arms and grinned, taking in her peaceful dimpled smile. Glad that their life had finally gotten normal enough that he was able to see her looking so happy over something as simple as being pleased to be back home, he bent down and kissed her cheek gently, causing her smile to widen even more.

As the taxi driver slid the cab up the house's driveway and shifted the gear-stick into park, Brooke's enthusiastically unbuckled her seatbelt and practically bolted out of the car. In response to Brooke's excitement, Lucas couldn't help but let out an amused chuckle, yet as she halted and raised two slightly embarrassed eyes up to him, he could only urge her on.

"Go on, pretty girl… I'll get all our stuff" he reassured her, putting the thrilled smile back on her face. He had just finished taking all of their bags from the taxi's trunk and putting them on the driveway's asphalt, and was in the process of paying the driver for his service when he heard Brooke's voice speaking out. Although he couldn't make out what she was saying, it was clear to him that she wasn't talking to him and that she sounded quite annoyed. Therefore, he told the fortunate driver to keep the change as he rushed towards the house, leaving the bags behind, on the driveway.

As he approached the entrance to the house and noticed that Brooke was still out on the porch and that she was facing a man who he was unfamiliar with, Lucas' soft frown turned into an angry scowl. Hastening his steps, it was only moments until he stood beside his girlfriend, protectively positioning his hand on the small of her back and glaring at the unexpected visitor, who was obviously unwelcomed, considering the way Brooke was shooting daggers at him with her gaze.

"Is there a problem here?" Lucas demanded to know, straightening his posture in a manly gesture, so the other guy would realize that he was outsized by him.

"Not at all…" the man replied with a sly smirk, which already caused Lucas to tighten his jaw in annoyance, "I was just asking Ms. Davis-"

"Actually, _Phillip_" Brooke cut into his speech, clarifying to Lucas that she actually knew the person they were facing, "You were just leaving" she informed him, staring at him with an annoyed, serious expression.

"Has this jerk bothered you before?" Lucas turned to look at Brooke and asked, feeling rage take over his body at the thought of some tool bothering his girl, yet Brooke was still staring at the man and didn't even acknowledge that he had spoken to her.

"I already told you" Brooke continued, her voice strict and unwavering, "It's one thing to come up to me in a public area, with the rest of the reporters, seeing as this is a free country, but waiting for me on my front porch? This is my private property, so that's trespassing, mister!" she sternly told him, her flushed cheeks expressing just how angry she was.

"Wait- this has happened before?" Lucas questioned, the fury quite evident in his voice. If this were any other situation, he would have focused on the pride he felt as he witnessed Brooke telling this man off and taking care of herself so confidently. However, once it registered to him that Brooke had clearly stated that this was a recurring situation- that this man had already disturbed her in her personal space- he felt his heart speed up with intense rage, which only increased once Brooke spoke.

"As a matter of fact- yes" she verified, "I don't know how he found me there, but Mr. Smith here paid me a visit several weeks ago, while I was staying at Nathan and Haley's house…" she revealed, and now Lucas was truly seeing red. It wasn't bad enough that he learned that this man had also troubled his brother's family, but he now understood that the previous time in which he had bothered Brooke had been right after her attack, when she had been most vulnerable.

Clenching his fists in an attempt to suppress the rage flowing through his veins, Lucas took a step forward, towering over the shorter man. "I don't know why you said we didn't have a problem, because we obviously do if you've been bothering Brooke like that" he said, his voice quiet, yet dangerously furious. "You are going to leave now" he informed Phillip, his eyes blazing red.

"Luke…" as Brooke's hand gently touched his shoulder, Lucas relaxed slightly and was about to back off a little from the man whose neck he had the urge to wring, yet just as he somewhat calmed down- Phillip spoke, reigniting the anger he had tried to suppress.

"Being rather protective, aren't we?" Phillip observed, pulling out a pen and a writing pad and adding, "I'm assuming you wouldn't mind it if I verified that you two really are an item" he smiled smugly, causing Lucas to simply lose it. With his heart thumping wildly in his chest due to how extremely upset he was, he strode towards the man before him.

"You asked for this…" he let Phillip know before taking another step towards him and shoving him slightly. It was completely uncharacteristic of him to revert to violence, yet the knowledge that this rude, audacious man had been disturbing his girlfriend simply flipped a switch inside him, unleashing his primitive masculine instincts.

"Lucas!" calling out in alarm as she feared that the situation before her was about to escalate into a physical fight, Brooke rushed towards the duo, pulling them apart. "Lucas, hey… Hey…" she stepped in between him and Phillip, grabbing onto Lucas' face and forcing him to meet her eyes, "Lucas- he is not worth it…" she strictly told him, waiting until his labored breathes slowed down into a normal pace and until his eyes finally lost their angry blaze and focused on her.

"You're right, babe – I'm sorry" he mumbled out an apology, ashamed that he had intended to act violently before her eyes, yet still unable to fully get over how worked up this man had gotten him. When Brooke just nodded understandingly, wordlessly conveying to him that he didn't need to be sorry and that she got what had overcome him, all Lucas wanted to do was kiss her. However, he resisted the urge to do so, as the last thing he wanted to do was to supply this reporter with material for his gossip magazine. Therefore, he just hooked his arm around Brooke's shoulders and glared at the man before him. He was about to tell him off again when, much to his surprise, Brooke beat him to it.

"You know, Phillip" Lucas turned to Brooke and looked at her as she talked, wondering what she was planning to say, "Seeing as this is a small town, I'm sure you won't be surprised to know that I have some pretty close friends who just happen to be cops at the local police station" she told him, putting an impressed smirk on Lucas' face with her assertive way of handling this man, especially after he himself had lost his calm. "I suggest that you find someone else to stalk, unless you want my friends to pay you a less-than-friendly visit…" she warned, finally causing Phillip to raise his hands in surrender and to retreat from her porch, yet his face still wore his arrogant, crooked grin.

"No need to get all hostile, Ms. Davis. I realize it when I'm unwanted…" he said, slowly making his way down her driveway.

"Clearly you do…" Lucas huffed in response, watching Phillip like a hawk until the man finally entered his car and drove off. He was so caught up in his own world as he watched Phillip's car disappearing into the distance, that he didn't even realize that Brooke was looking at him with slight concern until she gently touched his arm.

"Hey…" she called out, finally capturing his attention, "Are you alright, boyfriend?" she asked softly, giving him a sweet, yet worried smile.

"Of course, pretty girl…" Lucas immediately confirmed, his hands finding their way to her hips and giving her a reassuring squeeze. When she kept looking at him skeptically, he added, "This just caught me off-guard, that's all…"

"Well, I don't want you getting all worked up or engaging in fights like this anymore, Luke…" she replied, tilting her eyes down and playing with the hem of his shirt as she tried to avoid his gaze, due to how guilty she felt about once again dragging him into the drama that had been surrounding her lately.

"Clearly I won't have to…" he told her, "My girl is tough!" he said in a playful tone, succeeding in his attempt to put the smile back on her face.

"And my man is wonderfully sweet" she replied honestly, yet put a funny look on Lucas' face.

"Sweet? I'm not sure that's the right word to use if you're trying to compliment a guy…" he told Brooke awkwardly, causing her to giggle and to give him a teasing look.

"Well then, how about 'broody'? It suits you as well…" she joked, causing Lucas to fake a hurt look, which only caused her to burst out laughing.

"Is that the best you've got?" he challenged, still feigning hurt, causing Brooke to pretend engaging in deep thought.

"Well, you're also kind of handsome" she said, causing a grin to creep up Lucas' face.

"Keep going…" he instructed, his fingers rubbing soft circles on the skin of Brooke's hips.

"You're a writer- so you're definitely smart… and creative" she added, her arms instinctively hooking around his neck as her body begged her to eliminate the little space there was between Lucas' muscular form and herself.

"Mm-hmm…" Lucas nodded appreciatively, tightening his grip on her body and looking at her with desire as he observed the lust in her hazel eyes.

"You're extremely kind-hearted… not to mention very, _very_ sexy…" she whispered, gently swaying her hips from side to side and causing Lucas to groan due to how this action was affecting him, considering their closeness to one another.

"God- you have no idea what you're doing to me…" he mumbled, his voice dipping low due to his aroused state. Brooke, however, smirked and, raising an eyebrow seductively, chose to reply.

"I told you that I'd help you relax…" she said, causing Lucas to let out a throaty chuckle.

"Well, you certainly kept your word…" he said, bending down to capture her lips for a short yet passionate kiss, as he could no longer help himself. Separating himself from her and looking at her luscious lips, which were beginning to slightly swell due to the way he had attacked them with his mouth, Lucas knew that he needed to move into the house at that instant or else he wouldn't be able to fight off his instincts, which were urging him to just take her then and there.

"I'm gonna get our bags from the driveway while you open up…" he huskily said to Brooke, brushing over her lower lip with his finger as she nodded in agreement. He kept looking at her with affection for yet another moment, and then reluctantly drew apart from her and turned away as he began walking towards the spot where he had left their bags.

Swooping all of their luggage in his muscular arms, Lucas smiled to himself and began making his way towards the house. Even though he had a great time with Brooke in New York, getting back home meant that they could finally take their re-kindled romance to the next level, and boy – he was certainly looking forward to that… As he reached the steps leading to Brooke's front porch, Lucas found it slightly odd that he couldn't hear his naturally energetic girlfriend shuffling around from inside the house, especially considering how excited she had been to return to her house. Figuring that she might have already made her way upstairs, though, he simply brushed the thought off until he entered the house. Much to his surprise – he found Brooke standing still on the first floor of the house, staring quietly at the wall in front of her.

"Babe?" Lucas confusedly questioned, his eyes following the direction of her gaze and his entire form completely freezing when he realized what she had been eyeing; on the wall, in bold letters, freshly written in red paint- eight words formed one sentence:

_**Hell has three gates: lust, anger and greed…**_

Staring at the clear threat tainting Brooke's wall, Lucas could feel his pulse picking up. Not only was he enraged that someone would dare to terrorize his girlfriend and mess with her head like this, but he was also starting to panic slightly. This threat obviously meant two things- that the person trying to hurt Brooke wasn't backing down and that he was getting closer- no longer picking a public location to try to get to Brooke, but actually invading her private home, where she should be safest. As his heart picked up its pace, Lucas suddenly felt like the room was beginning to shrink- as if he were the prey of a hawk that was closing in on him more and more from above. He just couldn't help but think that had they chosen to shorten their trip- they would have been at risk of meeting this invader face to face, and someone could have gotten hurt- possibly Brooke…

Still rooted to his spot, Lucas averted his eyes from the hurtful message on the wall and looked around the room, searching for hints regarding the identity of the person who invaded Brooke's house. His eyes fell on the back door, which was broken and half open, clarifying to him how the intruder entered the house and suddenly instilling fear in his heart, as he thought about the possibility that this person might still be lurking around the house, waiting for the right moment to make his threats a reality. He started making his way towards the kitchen, intending to grab some sort of improvised weapon with which he could protect himself if he would indeed encounter someone as he surveyed the house. However, before he could even get there Brooke's voice filled the room, causing him to halt in his place.

"Who would do this to me?" she questioned, the evident tremor in her voice making it obvious that this act of malice left her hurt and scared.

"I don't know, babe, but I need you to keep your voice down until-" Lucas tried to hush her, yet Brooke was far too upset to pay attention to his words of guidance.

"_Why_ would anyone do this, Lucas?" she raised two hazel eyes up to him, begging him for an answer and simply breaking his heart, as she looked just like a child who tried to grasp why cruelty existed in the world. Understanding that Brooke currently needed him to stay by her side and unwilling to risk taking her around the house with the possibility of someone waiting for her at some dark corner of the house, Lucas realized that they had to get out of there at the moment.

"Come on, pretty girl. Let's get out of here" he gently advised, taking her hand and guiding her back outside. His heart was thumping in his chest like crazy and his mind was reeling with numerous different thoughts regarding this entire scenario. The words written on Brooke's wall kept running in his head- _"Hell has three gates: lust, anger and greed"_, _"Hell has three gates: lust, anger and greed"_… He tried to make sense of them, he tried to figure out what they meant, what the person sending them could possible imply, other than a clear threat on Brooke's life- could it be Victoria, angered that Brooke had taken the company back and was leading it to success without her, could it be Peyton, seething over the fact that he and Brooke were once again romantically involved, or could it be someone completely different, who he didn't even consider. He honestly didn't know what to think and it was driving him crazy.

As they reached the steps leading from the porch and down to the driveway, Lucas was about to suggest to his silent girlfriend that he would take her car and drive them over to the police station, so they could get Bob's team notified and involved in the new developments in Brooke's case. However, before he could say a word, his cell-phone rang, forcing his unsettled mind to focus back on reality. Seeing his brother's name flash on the screen, Lucas sighed as he mentally prepared himself for the surge of emotion that was surely about to be unleashed once Nathan learned about the invasion to Brooke's private home.

"Hi Nate…" he greeted, trying to remain as calm as possible, so his brother wouldn't freak out too much, yet feeling his heart-rate skyrocket when he heard Nathan's panicked words.

"Lucas- whatever you do- DON'T GO TO BROOKE'S HOUSE!" Nathan tensely demanded, causing Lucas' pulse to thump deafeningly in his ears.

"What's going on, Lucas?" Lucas could suddenly hear Brooke's small, raspy voice questioning him with uncertainty, yet he was far too caught up in his conversation with Nathan to be able to answer her.

"We're already there, Nate. How did you-" he tried to find out what Nathan knew and how he found out, yet Nathan cut him off in a panicked tone.

"Lucas- don't touch anything, get the hell out of there and come to the police station right away!" he instructed hysterically, only causing Lucas to grow even more alarmed.

"What's going on, Nate?" he asked, feeling the blood drain from his face once his brother replied.

"We found threat letters directed to Brooke in our house, and Bob think that maybe-"

"So did we, Nate" Lucas blurted out, growing slightly light-headed and starting to feel like he couldn't get a sufficient amount of air into his lungs as it struck him just how serious this whole situation was becoming.

"Lucas- what's happening?" he could barely make out Brooke's question through his panic and through his brother's frantic pleas that they would drive to the police station immediately. However, when he saw just how pale and scared Brooke looked, he forced himself to remain as collected as he could and to honestly reply.

"Nathan's house was broken into as well" he told her, painfully watching tears form in her eyes.

"Oh God…" she whimpered, trembling so much that her feet gave out from under her, causing her to drop to her knees.

"Brooke!" through his flustered, hazy state, Lucas still managed to dive towards her and grab onto her, in an attempt to take care of her. Brooke, however, just shook her head and shrugged away from him, holding onto herself tightly and rocking back and forth. The fact that on top of everything, she drew away from him and was clamming up again caused Lucas' breaths to become even more labored, as he felt like everything around him was falling apart.

"Lucas- are you listening to what I'm saying to you?" Lucas suddenly realized that he had been tuning Nathan out when his brother's voice called out loudly into his ears, "YOU NEED TO GET OUT OF THERE!" Nathan once again insisted, and Lucas was finding it extremely difficult to focus on anything with the way that Nathan was panicking on the phone, Brooke was breaking down before his eyes and he himself felt like he was on the verge of hysteria.

"I don't think that either one of us can drive right now, Nate…" Lucas managed to mumble, openly clarifying to Nathan just how affected both he and Brooke were by this situation. He could tell that there was no way that Brooke would be able to drive, and his mind was swarming with dreadful thoughts and assumptions so much, that he felt way too dizzy to walk over to when Brooke was sitting and hugging herself, let alone to drive a moving vehicle.

"Well, then Bob and I are coming to get you…" Nathan told him, thankfully regaining his composure somewhat and managing to take control over the situation, "Try to walk towards the main road, just in case someone's still in the house" Nathan instructed, receiving a vague consent from him before hanging the phone up.

Trying to get a grip over himself, so he could distance Brooke and himself from the possible danger that awaited them inside her house, Lucas found himself unable to let go of the disturbing thoughts that overwhelmed his mind. The attempt to try and find the link between the occurrence in Brooke's house, the phrasing of the threat written on Brooke's wall and the incident in his brother's residence was disturbing him so much that he couldn't even focus on Brooke's state or whereabouts. He finally regained slight awareness to his surroundings only when his phone rang yet again, making him realize that he was still sitting on Brooke's driveway, where he had slumped down during his conversation with Nathan.

"Hello?" as he tried to get his footing, Lucas answered the phone, too dazed to try and find out who had called him before replying. As he looked around him, he realized just how hazy his sight had become, as even though he furiously blinked- he couldn't see anything distinctively and even more concerning to him- he couldn't catch sight of Brooke. Stumbling around slightly, Lucas began to feel the panic taking over him completely, creating a burning sensation originating from his chest. With his sense of vision temporarily impaired, his hearing sharpened slightly- and when the terror of not spotting Brooke blending in with the upsetting words shared with him by the person speaking to him on the phone, Lucas felt his heart cramping in his chest. He managed to let out a short cry of pain before his whole world went black…

* * *

**AN: And the drama is back! lol! I know that this was slightly messy in the ending, but I promise that next time things will be much more clear. As always- your reviews motivate me to write and to update sooner, so please do share your thoughts with me! ;-)**


	42. Chapter 42

**I have so much going on in my life right now, but I just had to update after leaving you with that cliffhanger... Hopefully it won't be long before I'm able to update again (your reviews always push me to update sooner, so please send me your feedback)! Thanks to everyone who has been reviewing this story so far and especially to Rosie, Dani and Tanya- who have been sending me encouraging messages as well! Enjoy this chapter, guys! ;-)**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.

**Chapter 42**

She was running. Her frail, trembling feet were barely holding her up, yet the sheer force of adrenaline made it possible for her to keep going, to race forwards. Even though the exerting task was making her lightheaded and breathless, she knew she couldn't stop- she just had to keep running. It was the only way to handle the nightmare that this day had become.

She was crying- sobbing her heart out, to be more exact. Her eyes were so watery that her vision could only catch onto hazy colors and shapes, yet even with her blurry sight, she frantically sought one thing.

"Lucas!" her voice, raspier than usual due to the way she was crying, carried her broken plea as she kept advancing in a frenzy. Her boyfriend, however, was not the one to reply.

"It's going to be O.K., sweetie. It's going to be just fine…" she was told by a soothing voice, yet she was far too hysterical to be able to relax. She suddenly realized that several gentle hands were holding onto her for support, yet this did nothing to ease her tension. In fact, the knowledge that none of the hands touching her skin belonged to her boyfriend only caused her anxiety to peak.

"_Lucas!_" she desperately cried again, willing this to be a nightmare, willing herself to wake up and be held in the arms of her boyfriend, yet tragically realizing more and more that this was real – that someone had actually planted threat letters in her house, and even worse- in her friends' home, and that _this_ had happened…

Left with no other choice, she kept on running forward, until she suddenly bumped into a large object. She tried to move past it, she tried to keep following the trail that the strangers ahead of her rushed in, yet she was suddenly pushed back. When she once again attempted to maneuver herself forward, she suddenly felt strong hands grabbing onto her arms in a firm, uncompromising grip. Raising two tear-filled eyes up, she suddenly realized that the object she had collided with was actually a person- a fairly large one. His grip on her was beginning to hurt and she felt slightly threatened with the way that he was towering way above her, yet she once again tried to make a run for it past him. This time- she was ruthlessly flung back. The man was practically in her face, speaking to her sternly, yet the only thing that she could focus on was the fact that Lucas was being taken away from her and was now nowhere in sight.

"Lucas!" she cried in panic, her senses too hazy to catch onto the strict words the man was yelling at her until his grip on her tightened painfully, causing her to yelp. She began struggling against him when, much to her relief, she felt his hold on her loosening and being replaced with two pairs of gentle hands, which pulled her back protectively. Even though they did not belong to Lucas, this time- she didn't fight. She just stood there defeatedly, hanging her head down sullenly as the three men surrounding her spoke- the one who had been harsh towards her seeming to let out some sort of warning- and she then allowed the two familiar, gentle men who were currently holding onto her to lead her away.

As the three of them slowly walked away and eventually sat down- she could hear hazy soothing words and concerned questions that were directed towards her- yet she did not reply. With the tears streaming down her cheeks and choking her up- she simply couldn't. Everything that had occurred since they had set foot in Tree Hill was truly getting to her, making her retreat more and more into herself. She was trying to block everything away, when she could suddenly feel a masculine palm wiping her tears away and delicately lifting her head up- thus crumbling the walls she had surrounded herself with.

"Brooke- hey… Look at me, babe" tilting her tearful gaze up- the sea of emotions in her hazel orbs was met with Nathan Scott's worried blue eyes. Her lip began to quiver and she involuntarily whimpered as she focused on him and realized that despite the fact that she was the reason that he received threats at his home and that his only brother was currently in a hospital- she was the one he seemed to be concerned with.

"I'm sorry…" feeling guilty and ashamed, Brooke tried to bolt out of the room, yet Nathan's strong hands quickly reached out for her and seated her down. She caught sight of Bob, who was sitting on her other side quietly, and just let out a sob- realizing what mess she had brought into the lives of her loved ones. At the sound of her broken cry, Nathan gently gathered her into his arms and held her.

"This is not your fault, Brooke. I need you to understand that" he seriously told her, sighing when her cries only worsened as she broke down in his arms, "It's going to be O.K., Brooke. It's going to be alright…" he murmured, his hand rubbing her back caringly, willing her to stop crying.

"How can it be alright, Nate?" she drew away from him and asked, sounding so shattered that he actually winced, "Your family was threatened because of _me_!" she exclaimed, the self-blame in her tone causing him to once again grab onto her, forcing her to look him in the eye.

"This is NOT your fault" he emphasized, speaking slowly and pronouncing every word carefully, so she would understand that she was not the cause of any of this, "You are not to blame for the actions of some sick bastard, who decided to mess with your life" he strictly said, his eyes piercing into her as he tried to get his message through, yet softening almost immediately, when more tears welled up in her eyes.

"How did this happen, Nate?" Brooke asked, and Nathan couldn't do anything to help ease her pain but to gently stroke her trembling palm, "We were so happy and worriless and now…" she shuddered, the fresh memory of the day's tragic occurrences choking her up, as it was so vivid in her mind…

**Forty Minutes Earlier**

_She felt like her world just came crashing down. Lucas had just told her that Nathan's house had been targeted as well, and she just felt like this was on her- as though she had infected her friends with this potentially life-threatening disease, which carried the symptoms of insomnia, fear and tremors, and the fate of which no doctor could possibly predict._

_She could feel Lucas reaching out for her, yet as she realized that she had put none other than Jamie in the middle of this- Brooke shied away from his touch, feeling too upset and guilty to seek comfort from him. Out of the corner of her eye- Brooke could see Lucas nervously moving around, yet she just couldn't let him near her. She was afraid that if she would let him come too close- she would be endangering him, she would be passing onto him the curse that seemed to loom over her head._

_Retreating into herself, Brooke hugged her knees to her chest, rocking back and forth and wishing that the earth would swallow her alive. She felt like she had pulled her friends into this dark pit of fear and pain she had tried climbing out of ever since her attack, and this awful sensation was just too much. It was as though things couldn't get any worse…_

_She could vaguely hear Lucas' phone ringing again, yet all she could do at first was to sway in her place and allow the tears to trickle down her face. However, once she heard Lucas' voice calling out in distress- something inside of her snapped- enabling her to regain focus of her surroundings. Panning her gaze over to where Lucas had been standing- Brooke watched in alarm as he fell to his knees, clutching his heart._

_"Lucas!" she screamed, somehow managing to get up on her flaccid feet and to rush over to him, "Lucas… baby…" she tried to speak with him in the midst of her distress, feeling her breaths pick up their pace when- just as she reached him- he collapsed._

_"Lucas!" at the very last moment- she managed to dive and grab onto him, shifting his upper form towards her and leaning his head on her chest. Her breath hitched in her throat in horror as she realized that he wasn't conscious. "No, no, no…" she called out in distress, shaking him the slightest bit in her arms and feeling the sobs wrack her body when he didn't respond._

_"Come on, Lucas- wake up…" she pleaded, rattling his body once again, and growing even more petrified when he did not react in any way to her. "Oh God- this can't be happening" she whimpered, tightening her grasp on Lucas' limp form and cradling him against her chest. She was on the verge of completely panicking, but the knowledge that Lucas currently desperately needed her forced her to start functioning._

_With shaking fingers, she slipped her hand into Lucas' pocket, digging his cell-phone out and frantically dialing those three horrible digits._

_"911- What's your emergency?" she could hear the female operator on the other side of the line questioning her calmly._

_"It's my boyfriend… My boyfriend… he won't wake up… He just got a phone call… and then he collapsed… He was holding onto his chest… and he won't talk to me… he won't move… I tried talking to him, but he won't-"_

_"Miss… Miss…" the woman speaking to her cut into her speech, giving Brooke the time to halt her panicked ramble in favor of a sob, "I need you to listen to me and focus, O.K.? Is your boyfriend breathing?" she asked a first guiding question, causing the blood in Brooke's veins to freeze._

_"I don't know… I don't…" she mumbled, tilting her head down slightly so that her cheek was positioned millimeters away from Lucas' mouth. After several moments of sheer terror, she could finally heave a sigh of relief, when a shallow, yet very much existent breath brushed over her skin, "Yes! Yes, he's breathing… His breaths are weak- but he's breathing" she shared the information with the operator, feeling tears of relief wash her face. Had her answer to this question been different- she would have never been able to live with herself._

_"Alright, Miss- I need you to tell me where you are, so l can send help for your boyfriend, O.K.?" the woman instructed, and Brooke immediately did as she had been told, listening to further instructions and doing her best to follow them. She just felt like curling up in a ball and crying, but she knew that if something would be wrong with Lucas just because she had been too panicked to take care of him in those critical minutes- she wouldn't forgive herself ever._

_Massaging the left side of his chest and pecking his temple worriedly, Brooke simply begged him, "Please be O.K., Luke… You just have to be O.K."_

_When a car slowed down and parked in the middle of her driveway- Brooke raised two fearful eyes up, only to feel relief washing over her as she identified the two men who were frantically racing towards her as Nathan and Bob._

_"Brooke- what happened? Are you guys O.K.?" Nathan questioned tensely, dropping down next to her and looking at Lucas in alarm._

_"I don't know… One minute he was fine, and suddenly he just blacked out before my eyes…" Brooke cried, allowing her emotions to surface slightly, now that she had backup and was no longer alone with Lucas._

_"Did you-"_

_"I called 911 already, yes…" she could tell what Nathan was about to question her and quickly replied, looking at him with terrified eyes. Stroking the soft hairs in the nape of Lucas' neck with one hand and gently massaging his chest with her other hand, Brooke brokenly added, "I think it's his heart, Nate…" causing the blue eyes of the man before her to widen in fear. Taking in the sight of the brave, fearless man before her looking so terrified, Brooke finally couldn't help it anymore and began to sob._

_Seconds later, when the ambulance lights were blinding her sight, her heartbreaking cries kept rolling out of her mouth and only grew more intense. She tensed up at first when the paramedic tried to take Lucas from her arms, yet let him go after a moment, when Nathan gently pulled her back and mumbled an "It's gonna be O.K., Brooke" into her ear._

_Her eyes widened in alarm as she watched the doors of the ambulance closing after Lucas had been lifted inside. She struggled against Nathan- trying to race towards the emergency unit, yet her feminine form was no match for his athletic, manly physique._

_"I can't leave him alone, Nathan… I need to go with Lucas…" she cried in distress, panicking completely when the ambulance began sliding out of her driveway. "Nathan- let go!" she demanded, fighting against his grip with frustration and only stopping when Bob gently advised._

_"We'll follow in my car. I've got my police unit, so we can get there right with them…" he offered. Left with no other choice, as the ambulance had already noisily speeded away, Brooke rushed into Bob's vehicle, covering her face and letting out more tears as the events that had just occurred took their toll on her. She had been so impacted by everything that had happened that she had basically zoned out, only acknowledging her surroundings when the car suddenly stopped. Raising two wet eyes, she realized that they had arrived at the hospital and that Lucas was just being unloaded out of the ambulance ahead of her. Paying attention to nothing else- Brooke began making her way after his hospital bed- blurrily rushing after the medical assistants that were wheeling him ahead._

_That was how she had found herself colliding with the emergency room's security guard, who had nearly kicked her out of the hospital for her adamancy, until Nathan and Bob intervened and pulled her over to the waiting room, where she was currently sitting._

**End of flashback**

"Brooke? Brooke, sweetie, are you O.K.?" suddenly realizing that she had zoned out as she relived the events of that day, Brooke averted her gaze over to the man speaking to her. When she saw Bob staring at her worriedly, she forced a watery smile and sniffled.

"Yeah… It's just been an eventful day…" she hoarsely croaked out, causing him to nod understandingly. They grew silent, helplessly waiting for someone bearing news about Lucas. When Brooke noticed that her palm was still buried inside Nathan's larger hand, she suddenly thought about Haley and Jamie, the people whose palms Nathan should naturally be holding. Sniffling some more and moving her gaze over to her friend, Brooke quietly asked, "How are Haley and Jamie taking all of this?"

"They'll be fine- don't worry about it…" he reassured her, giving her palm a supportive squeeze, yet tears welled up in her eyes nonetheless.

"Jamie must have been so scared to see those threats…" she guiltily assumed, burying her eyes in her lap with shame.

"Nah… He didn't see anything, so he's fine" Nathan soothed, yet Brooke's face contorted in confusion.

"How could he not?" she raised her eyes up to him and questioned. She couldn't understand how he and Haley could have shielded their energetic and curious son from something as noticeable as a huge hateful message written on their wall.

"We took it away before he could see it…" Nathan retorted, staring at her as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"You took a painted message off your wall before Jamie could see it?" Brooke questioned in disbelief, causing Nathan's face to crinkle in a frown.

"No, we-" he began, yet then the realization hit him, "Wait- your message was painted onto your wall?" he asked, disgusted with the understanding that Brooke's house was vandalized like that. When she just nodded, staring at him inquisitively, Nathan explained, "Ours wasn't… We got a magazine speared into our dining room table with a boning knife taken from our kitchen…" he said, causing Brooke's eyes to widen.

"_What?_" she exclaimed in shock, realizing how explicit these threats truly were. She could feel herself growing breathless with fear, frustration and fury, when Bob spoke.

"Yeah, well- if we're lucky- we'll be able to match the fingerprints…" he said- pulling out a zipped-up transparent bag out of his briefcase and showing it to Brooke, so she could see the evidence for herself. When this information didn't seem to erase the shaky expression off of her face, Bob jokingly added, "Well- other than with Nathan and Haley's fingerprints…" he said, yet Brooke failed to lighten up. She just stared at the knife and the magazine and took in the hand-written message that was scribbled all over her image, which decorated the cover of the front page-

_**Payback's a bitch for taking what isn't yours…**_

Under the menacing words, two photos of her from the previous day- one with Lucas and one in the press conference- were outlined in a hand-painted red circle- as if to indicate what had been Brooke's supposed crime. Brooke couldn't help gasping sharply at the sight of the large knife leaning against the magazine inside the bag- proving to her just how sincere and brutal the payback this person was threatening them with might possibly be.

Upon seeing the mixture of emotions playing out over Brooke's face as she silently took this in- Bob quickly put the bag back in his briefcase. "Don't worry about it, Brooke… This just gives us more material to work with. We'll catch that bastard… He's not gonna touch any of you" he reassuringly promised, giving Brooke's shoulder a supportive squeeze.

"Thank you, Bob" she quietly expressed her appreciation for all of his efforts. She was just wiping her tears and trying to appear more composed, despite the turmoil of emotion that was bubbling up inside of her, when three people burst into the waiting room. Raising her eyes to look at the source of commotion- Brooke gasped, as is was none other than Karen, Andy and Lily.

"Nathan, Brooke!" Karen called out once she spotted them, rushing towards them, "How is Lucas?" she asked them tensely. Facing Lucas' mother, Brooke felt the tears of guilt choking her up once more. Nathan took one look at her and realized that he would have to do the talking.

"We don't know yet" he honestly replied, rising to his feet and putting his hand on her shoulder, "Come on, Karen- why don't you take a seat…" he chivalrously offered, helping her get settled in the free spot next to him and then taking his own seat between her and Brooke.

"What… What happened?" Karen anxiously asked, her eyes frantically moving back and forth between Nathan and Brooke. When Brooke just whimpered, biting onto her lower lip in an obvious attempt to stifle her sobs, Karen's eyes widened. She flashed Andy a panicked look, causing him to nod and to pull Lily out of the room with the promise of some ice-cream.

Once the little girl was nowhere in sight, Karen focused her gaze on Brooke and tensely questioned "Brooke, honey- did someone hurt Lucas?" she asked. Realizing how upset the younger brunette was, her concern extended to enclose her and she asked, "And you?"

Shaking her head furiously, Brooke couldn't help but let out a sob. She just couldn't believe that despite the fact that her son was currently in the emergency room- Karen was taking the time to worry about her. "It's all my fault…" Brooke choked out, stifling her cries in order to mumble a broken "excuse me" before she attempted bolting out of the room.

Karen, however, rose to her feet and managed to grab onto her just in time. Despite the fact that Brooke was giving her a pleading look, Karen wouldn't let go of her. Brooke therefore had no choice but to release heartbreaking sobs right in front of her, as she could no longer hold them in. Following her motherly instincts, Karen quickly gathered her into her arms, hushing her calmingly.

"Hey- shh, shh… It's gonna be O.K., sweetheart. This isn't your fault and I'm sure that Lucas will be fine…" she comforted as she rocked the younger girl in her arms, trying to convince both Brooke and herself that the boy they both loved so much would indeed be alright.

"I don't know, Karen… He was just talking on the phone and suddenly he collapsed…" she rambled in an upset tone, causing Karen to suddenly gasp and draw away from her, looking guilt-stricken.

"Then it's definitely not your fault, Brooke- because it is my fault…" Karen mumbled, looking as pale as a sheet of paper. She started pacing across the room, looking extremely flustered and causing Brooke and Nathan to questioningly follow her with their gazes.

"Karen?" Brooke hesitantly called out to her, carefully making her way towards her.

"I was the one who called him" she absentmindedly explained, causing Nathan and Brooke to exchange inquiring looks before she added, "I should have known better than to tell him something like that on the phone…" she regretfully said, sliding into a seat in the corner of the room and burying her face in her hands in remorse.

"Karen…" this time it was Bob who called out to her and approached her, his sharp-detective instincts obviously picking onto something before Brooke and Nathan. When Karen looked at him questioningly, obviously wondering who he was, Bob was quick to introduce himself "My name is Bob and I am in charge of the investigation regarding the attack on Brooke" he explained, causing Karen to nod. He knew he might be mistaken- he knew that Karen might have simply shared with Lucas upsetting news regarding a relative falling ill or something of that sort, yet something told him that he was right- that this had to do with the case he was itching to crack.

"Could you tell me what you said to Lucas on the phone?" he therefore asked, and when Karen replied- he learned that his hunch had been right on.

"I told him about the message sent to my house…" she revealed, seeming hesitant to further elaborate, but already causing Bob, Brooke and Nathan to grow alert.

"What message?" Bob pressed on, yet Karen momentarily glanced over at Brooke and remained silent. Catching on to what this must mean, Brooke looked at Karen shamefully.

"You got the threat letters too, didn't you?" it wasn't really a question, as judging by the look on Karen's face- Brooke already knew that the answer was positive. However, when Karen slightly nodded, giving Brooke a sympathetic look upon realizing that she had been targeted as well, the younger brunette began trembling.

"I can't believe this…" she mumbled, feeling upset, fearful and enraged all at once. It was as though this person had managed to target everyone that was close to her, everyone that she cared about…

When this realization overcame her, Brooke's eyes suddenly widened in alarm. "Oh my god! Rachel!" she exclaimed in panic as she understood that there was one person who was extremely dear to her that she hadn't spoken to since discovering the threat in her house. Much to her relief, though, Nathan quickly touched her shoulder.

"I talked to her when Bob and I were on the way over to your place. She's at Owen's and everything's alright with them" he reassured Brooke, causing her to heave a sigh of relief, yet the disturbed expression remained plastered on her face.

Noticing how distressed Brooke seemed to be, Nathan pushing down his own anxiety regarding the day's recent events and put a comforting hand on her slender back. "I know that this is overwhelming, Brooke- but we'll get through this…" he vowed.

Forcing herself to give him a small, sad smile- Brooke honestly replied, "I just need Lucas to be alright… All that matters to me is that we all stay safe and that Lucas will be O.K." she said, and Karen and Nathan couldn't agree more…

* * *

"Anyone here for Lucas Scott?" it had taken slightly over an hour, but the moment that Brooke, Karen and Nathan had been waiting for finally arrived when a young doctor approached them at last. It had given the three of them time to compose themselves, but now that they faced the doctor- all three could feel the anxiety seeping right back in.

"Yes- I'm his mother" Karen quickly identified herself, rising to her feet along with Nathan and Brooke. When the doctor gave Nathan a questioning look- he introduced himself as well.

"I'm his brother" he said, immediately adding "and Brooke is part of the family as well". His quick save earned him a grateful smile from the dimpled brunette. Seeing how nervous she appeared to be- Nathan put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him.

"Well- seeing as you all are Lucas' family- I'm assuming you are aware of Lucas' medical condition- HCM?" the doctor wanted to make sure, causing Brooke's face to fall.

"Oh God- so it _is_ his heart…" she mumbled in dread, starting to feel the room spinning.

"Did my son just suffer a heart attack?" Karen began to panic as well at the thought while Nathan just paled, yet forced himself to keep it together for the sake of the two ladies he was currently holding onto.

"The bad news is that it is indeed Lucas' heart that caused him to collapse" the doctor began his reply, causing Brooke to gasp sharply. She felt as though she had been stabbed with a knife.

"What's the good news?" Nathan tried to keep his hope up and asked, rubbing circles on Brooke's back and maintaining his sturdy grip on Karen's trembling frame. He could tell that they were both on the verge of falling apart and just prayed that things weren't as serious as they appeared to be.

"The good news is that Lucas did not suffer a heart attack" the doctor clearly stated, "This had just been a warning his body had given him".

"What does that mean?" refilled with a bit of hope- Brooke dared to ask.

"HCM patients cannot overexert their hearts with exercise or stress. It seems that Lucas has forgotten to take his medication this morning, and according to what I had been told- he was under a great deal of stress lately. Stress, combined with the absence of the stabilizing effect of his medication, is what we believed caused Lucas to collapse" the doctor patiently elaborated.

"So he's going to be O.K.?" Karen wanted to make sure, as none of them were able to relax without further assurance.

Luckily for them, the young doctor gave them an encouraging smile and nodded, "We will need to monitor his heart overnight, but right now it seems that by tomorrow we'll be releasing Mr. Scott with a warning" he lightly said, finally putting the relieved smiles on their faces, "He will probably need to be on bed rest for a few days and it would be mandatory for him to refrain from strenuous, stressful activities and to make sure he is taking his medication regularly. However- other than that- it seems that he will be just fine" he concluded his explanation, smiling kindly at them.

"Can we see him now?" Karen wanted to know, needing to see her son with her own eyes in order to fully calm down.

"Certainly" the doctor nodded approvingly, "Follow me" he instructed, and the three of them gladly obliged. When they arrived at the doorstep of Lucas' room, the doctor waved them in and left after flashing them an encouraging smile.

While Karen quickly rushed in, Brooke tentatively began making her way inside. Upon observing how pale and exhausted Lucas appeared to be, despite the doctor's reassurances that nothing serious was wrong with him, Brooke froze in her place by the doorsteps. She silently watched as Karen pulled her son into a tight, almost smothering embrace, to which Lucas responded by laughing tiredly and hugging her back. Feeling like she would be intruding in this mother-son moment and more so- that she was the reason that Lucas was in the hospital in the first place- Brooke remained rooted to her spot, attempting to blend into the background.

Noticing her discomfort, Nathan placed his hand on her shoulder in a brotherly manner and gently guided, "Come in, Brooke. It's O.K." he soothingly said, yet Brooke wouldn't budge. In fact, she was contemplating slipping out of the room until Lucas addressed her.

"I've never known you to be a wall-flower, pretty girl…" he said with a wink, gesturing for her to come closer to him. When she kept still, her frail frame trembling slightly, Lucas coaxed further, "Come on, babe…". Unable to deny him, Brooke carefully approached him. The tears kept on building up in her eyes and when she finally reached him, they were spilling freely down her cheeks, causing Lucas to frown.

"Hey… Don't cry, pretty girl" he begged, gently wiping her tears away and embracing her when she finally fell into his arms in tears, "I'm O.K…. It's O.K…." he reassured her, causing her to tighten her grasp on him.

"Don't _ever_ do that again…" Brooke cried, the panic she had sensed upon witnessing him collapse washing her over now that she held him in her arms again.

"I'll try not to…" Lucas chuckled, immediately bringing her closer to his chest when her cries only worsened, "Hey… Shh, shh… It's alright… Everything is gonna be alright, baby" he promised, kissing her temple and rubbing her back in an attempt to get her to relax.

"How are you feeling? Are you feeling O.K.?" abruptly drawing apart from him, Brooke looked him over worriedly.

"Yeah… I'm really fine, Brooke" Lucas tried to laugh it off. When Brooke still seemed concerned, Lucas caringly cupped her cheek, rubbing his thumb back and forth across her skin, and calmingly promised, "I feel alright, Brooke- I really do, and if I won't- I promise to let you know, O.K.?"

"O.K." Brooke nodded, seeming to be slightly more at ease, yet still wearing a somewhat somber expression on her face.

"What are you brooding about?" Lucas observantly asked, nudging her playfully in order to get her to lighten up. Brooke, however, raised two sad hazel eyes up to him.

"I'm just sorry, Luke…" she began to say, and despite the words of protest he was trying to get through to her, she added, "I know that I brought this stressful mess into your life…"

"Unless you're the one sending yourself threat letters, it most certainly isn't your fault" Lucas sincerely told Brooke, causing her to nod. She still felt guilty, but she could see that bringing this up was only getting Lucas worked up. Taking her lack of argument as a sign that he had gotten through to her, Lucas asked, "Now- can I please see a smile? I thought that you would be happy that I'm fine…" he joked, finally putting a smile on his girlfriend's face.

"You have no idea how happy, Luke…" she said, pulling him into a hug once again and finally sounding more relieved, "All that matters to me is that we will all be O.K.…" she added, meaning it with every fiber of her being. The money, the fame, the success- they were all wonderful, but the one thing that truly mattered to her at the end of the day was that the people she considered as family would be healthy, happy and safe.

* * *

Lucas' eyelids fluttered, opening and forcing him to blink in order to get used to the white, bright room he was in. After interacting with his mother, brother and girlfriend for a while- the doctor that had been treating him stepped into the room and insisted that he would get some rest. After some further persuasion from his worried family, Lucas obliged and closed his eyes- only realizing then how tired he actually was. He had rested for a couple of hours and woke up- feeling much stronger and more relaxed. Glancing around the room, he searched for the one person who could make him feel even better, just with her presence. When he found his brother sitting in the seat by his bed instead, he slightly frowned.

"Where's Brooke?" he questioned, rubbing his eyes to get the sleep out of them.

"I'm so happy to see you too, man…" Nathan teasingly replied with a chuckle, causing Lucas to mumble an awkward "Sorry". Waving his brother's apology off, Nathan answered his initial question, "It's O.K…. As for Brooke- she went downstairs to see her therapist- Dr. Frank… She remembered that they had an appointment scheduled for today and your mom convinced her that it would be a really good idea to speak to her, considering everything that happened today…" Nathan explained, causing Lucas to nod contently and to feel thankful for his mother's influence on his girlfriend, as judging by the mess she had been when she first came into his room- Brooke could have certainly used someone to talk to.

"That's good…" Lucas agreed, shaking his head upon thinking of the total turn for the worst this day had taken, "Can you believe that we were in New-York this morning?" he asked his brother, causing him to shake his head at the thought.

"Not at all… In less than 24 hours we went from taking a nice vacation, where the most stressful thing was getting stalked by the paparazzi, to receiving threat letters and…"

"Getting stalked here as well" Lucas said, something suddenly clicking inside his head.

"Yeah, I guess you're right…" Nathan let out a chuckle, as laughing about this whole mess was better than the alternative. Lucas, however, shook his head, as he got a gut feeling that the thought that suddenly occurred to him might be what they had been missing all along.

"No, Nate- you don't understand…" Lucas said, getting worked up at the realization that this might be a clue to what was really going on. As his heart-rate went up, Nathan looked at the heart-monitor with concern.

"Luke- maybe I don't know what you mean, but you need to calm down…" he instructed, unwilling to let his brother stress himself with his fragile heart. Lucas, however, just couldn't clear his thoughts with the new-found realization that hit him.

"I can't- this is too big…" he said, thinking that with this information- Bob might very well be able to piece everything together and realize who was after his girlfriend.

"Luke-" Nathan began, yet Lucas quickly cut him off.

"No… I need to talk to Bob. I want to talk to him right now, before Brooke gets back…"

* * *

**AN: So that was it! I hope everything was clear in this chapter, as parts of it were brought from the POV of an upset Brooke... Please do update! It means a lot to me! ;-)**


	43. Chapter 43

**Hi guys! I've been crazy busy with finals and papers to hand in for my courses, but now things have quieted down a little and next week I'm actually going on vacation with my family! I knew I owed to all of you to update before I got away for a few days- so here you go! I want to give a huge thanks to CaseyJr, BDavisRules and DANI OTH for the encouraging messages they have sent me- which definitely speeded up the pace of my writing for this update! Thanks to everyone else who has been reviewing and reading this story! You all are simply great! ;-)  
**

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the OTH characters.**  
**

**Last Time**

_"No, Nate- you don't understand…" Lucas said, getting worked up at the realization that this might be a clue to what was really going on. As his heart-rate went up, Nathan looked at the heart-monitor with concern._

_"Luke- maybe I don't know what you mean, but you need to calm down…" he instructed, unwilling to let his brother stress himself with his fragile heart. Lucas, however, just couldn't clear his thoughts with the new-found realization that hit him._

_"I can't- this is too big… I need to talk to Bob. I want to talk to him right now, before Brooke gets back…"_

**Chapter 43**

"Nathan said that you asked to see me…" Lucas raised his eyes from the hospital sheet his body was covered with to look at the kind officer who had been dedicating so much of his time and efforts to protect his loved ones in the past few weeks.

"Thanks for coming, Bob… Please sit down" Lucas greeted him with an appreciating smile and gestured towards the chair by his bed. With the way he had been running around between the three houses in which the threat letters had been found- Bob gratefully accepted the offer to get off his aching feet for a while.

"Are you about to make my day and tell me that you saw the person who broke into Brooke's house?" Bob questioned, half jokingly yet half seriously. He had tried speaking to Brooke about what happened in her house before he and Nathan managed to get there, yet she had been so upset and wired up that he had given up rather quickly. Therefore, he was still waiting to hear whether she and Lucas had any valuable insights to share with him regarding the messages that were directed to her.

"I don't know, man" Lucas replied cautiously, not wanting Bob to get his hopes up if it would turn out that he was wrong about this, "but I want you to do a background check on someone, if that's possible" he asked, causing Bob's eyes to light up as he nodded eagerly.

"Of course. Just say the name" Bob replied, yet Lucas had one more thing to ask first.

"Look… I would appreciate it if you don't discuss this with Brooke for the time being. She's been under an unhealthy amount of stress lately, and I just don't want her worrying about this, unless you find some confirmation" Lucas explained the reason for him request, and Bob nodded with agreement.

"That's understandable…" he said, going along with Lucas' terms "I won't say a word to her unless it becomes necessary" he promised, gaining a grateful nod from Lucas, "Now what-" he began to ask, yet was cut short once the door to Lucas' hospital room suddenly opened and Brooke appeared in the doorway, holding onto a brown paper bag.

"Hey boyfriend, I brought you some-" she began greeting him, yet stopped midsentence when she noticed that Bob was also in the room. Lucas took in the way her delicate, forced smile was replaced with an apprehensive expression, which allowed the tension she was trying to suppress to grow even more evident. Noticing the nervous way that her dainty fingers were crumpling the paper bag in her hands, Lucas sighed sadly, as he hated seeing her looking so edgy and insecure.

"What have you got there, babe?" he asked, gesturing towards the bag and plastering a smile on his face in an attempt to help her lighten up.

Brooke, however, only absentmindedly mumbled "Muffins", yet remained looking detached and distant, and just kept staring at Bob unsurely.

"Well- come here, baby girl… Muffins would be great right now…" he beckoned her, trying to encourage her to come to him so he could at least offer her some comfort physically, yet Brooke just alternated her gaze between Bob and him and suspiciously questioned.

"What's going on?" she inquired, her gaze finally locking on Lucas, yet her feet remaining rooted to their spot by the doorway.

"Nothing, pretty girl" Lucas tried to assured her, "I don't want you to worry about a thing, alright?" he tried to soothe her, yet his words only caused her to kink an eyebrow with doubt.

"Lucas- tell me what you two were talking about" she said, sounding so serious that Lucas knew she meant business. There was an awkward silence until Bob spoke up.

"Fine…" Bob said, causing Lucas to frown, as Bob had promised to keep Brooke out of their conversation, and furthermore- still didn't even know what he had wanted to tell him. Nevertheless, Bob continued talking and said- "I was just about to discuss with Lucas the security measures that the police has decided to arrange for all of you, considering the new developments in your case…" he said, causing Lucas to quietly let out a relieved breath, as he learned that Bob intended to keep his word to him. However, when he averted his gaze to Brooke and noticed her trembling slightly in her spot and appearing to be extremely tense, his relief turned to concern once again. When she just stood there, blinking and looking so heartbreakingly vulnerable, Lucas peeled the sheet off of his body and swung his legs to the side of the bed, preparing to get up on his feet and walk over to his girlfriend.

"Lucas!" only then did Brooke finally snap out of her inner thoughts and rush over to him, "Luke- what are you doing? You need to stay in bed, broody…" she worriedly said, helping him settle back into a relaxed sitting position on his bed and caringly covering his body with the hospital blanket.

"I just wanted you by my side…" Lucas smiled at her, explaining his actions and chuckling slightly at the scolding expression Brooke was giving him, "Just sit with me and I promise to behave, alright?" he teasingly said, pulling her to his side when she finally obliged. He gently glided his fingers up and down Brooke's tensed up arms in an attempt to get her to relax and kissed her forehead, only remembering that Bob was in the room when he cleared his throat and began to speak.

"Well, due to the fact that we have our crime scene investigators working on the wall and broken window in your house- I'm afraid that you won't be able to sleep at home tonight and possibly not for a few more nights, Brooke" Bob began explaining, and only then Lucas realized that he hadn't just come up with a lie to hide what they were about to talk about, but that he was actually speaking truthfully. Subconsciously squeezing Brooke closer to his side, he focused his attention on Bob, now interested in knowing what he had to say, yet Brooke responded before Bob could continue.

"That's not a problem, Bob. I intended to stay here with Luke tonight anyway…" Brooke shrugged and said, placing her gentle hand on Lucas' leg in a caring, subconscious gesture. The way her small fingers trembled, however, caused Lucas to frown and shake his head.

"I want you to get some rest tonight, pretty girl… This has been a tough day for you and I doubt that you'll be comfortable here" he rationally said, yet Brooke adamantly shook her head.

"It doesn't matter, Luke- I'm staying with you" she insisted, averting her gaze over to Lucas and making his heart break when he noticed the tears pooling in her eyes, "I am not leaving you here… I won't leave you alone when… after what-" she rambled until her voice cracked, causing Lucas to cup her cheek and still her upset movements.

"Hey… Calm down, pretty girl… I will be perfectly fine here. I will probably just fall asleep and be out for the night" he truthfully said, as his body still felt rather weak from all the stress he had been through that day, "and I want you to get a good night's sleep tonight too, O.K.?" he tried to reason with her, stroking his fingers over her cheek to wipe away a stray tear, "Why don't you spend the night at Nathan and Haley's?" he suggested, knowing that his brother would be much more capable of keeping an eye on her that night, due to his own current physical weakness.

"I can't… I don't want their family to be in danger because of me…" Brooke shared her honest fear, and this time it was Bob's turn to speak up.

"Sweetie- no one will be in danger. In fact- it will be for the best if you go over to Nathan's house, because that's where I will be tonight with my partner and a few more fellow officers" he revealed, momentarily silencing the upset brunette before him. Using this rare moment of silence, Bob added "And you don't need to worry about Lucas either- we will have a few officers hanging around right outside his door, in addition to hospital's security guards, who have been instructed to keep an extra eye on things. I assure you that my entire team will work hard tonight to ensure that everyone close to you is safe" he vowed, helping Lucas relax- as he knew that Bob was also talking about his mother's family, yet Brooke still didn't seem to be appeased.

"But-" she began to protest, yet Lucas quickly cut her off.

"Babe, _I_ would feel much more relaxed if I knew that you were over at Nathan and Haley's tonight" he truthfully told her. Watching the mixture of emotions filling her face due to his words, he took her hands in his palms and gave them a soft squeeze, "Please, pretty girl, do this for me…" he asked, finally causing Brooke to nod reluctantly. The last thing she wanted to do was to leave Lucas alone, yet she realized that arguing with him will only stress him out once again.

"I just feel like I should stay with you and take care of you tonight, Luke…" she had already given in to Lucas' request, yet she just couldn't help but voice out her feelings one last time.

Lucas, however, just gave her a teasing smile and replied, "Well then, get some rest tonight, so I can have you take care of me next week- when I'm on bed rest…" he kinked an eyebrow and joked, finally putting a smile on Brooke's face due to the obvious innuendo behind his words.

"Who's the tease now, huh?" she tried to lighten up by questioning him, and just received a playful shrug from her tired boyfriend.

"I intend to hold you to that, so be prepared…" Lucas warned jokingly, causing Brooke to giggle slightly and then to start running her hands through his hair when she noticed his evident state of fatigue.

"Promise me that you won't get yourself worked up and that you will call me if you need anything at all" she softly requested, kissing him on top of his head when he obediently nodded.

"Hey Brooke…" he called out to her seconds later, when she began retreating from his room, causing her to whirl and look at him expectantly, "There are two things I kind of need right now…" he said, the sincere way he was looking at her making her rush back to his side.

"What is it, Luke? Are you uncomfortable? Are you in pain?" she began to stress, until Lucas could no longer keep a straight face and grinned teasingly at her.

"No, I'm fine… I just need my muffins and a kiss from my girl…" he replied, causing Brooke to shake her head at him but to feel extremely relieved that he was just playing with her and that nothing was wrong with him.

"That was mean, mister…" she informed him, but nonetheless- walked over to the table by the room's entrance and grabbed the bag of muffins she had previously left there. Coming back to him, she handed him the bag and then leaned down to give him a gentle, loving kiss.

When they broke apart and Brooke still remained close to him, stroking his cheek with her delicate fingers, Lucas looked at her face. Although she was trying to be composed with all her might, he could see the fragility and tension in her eyes. Therefore, trying to get her to lighten up, he jokingly said, "Well- I think I'm all better now…" causing both Brooke and Bob to laugh.

"Get some rest, boyfriend- you're starting to talk nonsense…" Brooke replied with a wink, leaning down to give him one last peck before heading out of his room for the night.

Knowing that he could not let Brooke leave on her own, Bob realized that he wouldn't have time to properly finish the conversation he had with Lucas. He therefore leaned down to give Lucas a man to man hug, using their physical closeness to whisper into his ear, "So, what's this person's name?" he questioned, eager to check out whatever information Lucas could share with him.

Quietly, so that Brooke wouldn't hear a thing from her position by the door, Lucas replied, "The name is Phillip Smith. He works at a tabloid and had once bothered Brooke when she was staying at Nathan's house. He was waiting on Brooke's porch when we got there this afternoon… I have a feeling there was more to it then a reporter sent to cover a story…"

* * *

It was midnight, but Brooke couldn't sleep. She laid on the bed in Nathan and Haley's guest bedroom and stared at the ceiling, consumed in her thoughts, due to how quiet and lonely it was in the dark room. She worried about Lucas, about leaving him alone and about his fragile heart. She worried about Nathan, Haley and Jamie- who were now forced into the nightmare she had been living in for the past few weeks. She worried about Karen, Lily and Andy- who had just returned to Tree Hill, only to receive such an unpleasant welcoming. Finally- she worried about herself, about how long this was going to go on, about how far the person after her was really intending to take this…

Feeling like she was drowning in her concerns, Brooke took a deep breath and rose to her feet, quietly making her way downstairs. She pitter-pattered over to the kitchen, grabbing a water bottle out of the refrigerator and greedily drinking the cool liquid, in the hopes that it will help in slowing down her racing heart-rate. Just as she paused to take a deep breath and thought that she had managed to calm down somewhat, a manly hand suddenly touched her shoulder, causing her to gasp and whirl around in panic.

"It's just me, Brooke" Nathan quickly soothed in a hushed tone, yet Brooke's heart was already wildly thumping in her chest again.

"You scared the hell out of me, Nate…" she mumbled, holding onto her chest with a trembling hand as Nathan squeezed her shoulder apologetically.

"Sorry…" he quietly said, moving his hand to rub her back as she took deep breaths, calming herself down "It's been a tough day, huh?" he stated, not only sharing his compassion towards her, but also expressing his own feelings about the events they had all gone through since returning to Tree Hill.

Nodding as she took another shaky sip from the water bottle she was holding, Brooke could only lean into Nathan's larger frame and quietly take comfort in his brotherly, protective presence. They stood there without making a sound for several more moments before Brooke suddenly broke the silence by saying, "I couldn't sleep…"

Although her statement was somewhat random and failed to tell Nathan anything he didn't already know- as they were obviously both still awake, he found himself nodding and agreeing, "I know… Neither could I…" as he realized that Brooke was not only telling him that she hadn't been able to give into sleep. He understood that what she really meant was to tell him that her mind was reeling with thoughts about Lucas, the threat letters, her attacks and the potential dangers that seemed to be lurking ahead, yet that she couldn't find it in her to actually explain it all. He understood, because that's exactly how he felt.

"I'm sorry, Nate" he heard her whispering shamefully, expressing the fact that she felt responsible for the stressful day they had undergone.

Shaking his head vigorously, he demanded, "Don't be. It's not your fault, Brooke" yet despite the conviction in his voice, she just buried her eyes in the ground and remained completely silent. "Hey… I mean it" Nathan forcefully insisted, yet the absentminded way that Brooke was nodding her head did little to convince him that he was getting through to her. Still, seeing as he didn't plan on arguing with her in the middle of the night, Nathan just pulled Brooke into a brotherly hug and gently promised her, "It's gonna be O.K.".

Nodding against his chest, Brooke grew silent once more. She didn't know whether Nathan was right, but something about his conviction and confidence managed to soothe her a little, at least for the time being. They just stood there quietly for a few minutes, listening to the muffled sounds of the cops talking to one another from outside the front door, when Nathan finally broke the silence.

"So, what happens with your fashion show now, Brooke? Are you still going to hold it as planned?" he questioned, wanting to know where her head was at. He didn't want to see her giving up on it, as he knew how important it was for her, but on the other hand- he knew he couldn't blame her if she felt like she just couldn't go through with it at the moment.

Shrugging, Brooke quietly replied, "George called me today. He wants us to use the fact that the fashion critics are still buzzing about yesterday's press conference to our advantage. He said that we could postpone it by a few days, but he still wants it to take place two weeks from now" she revealed, playing with the water bottle in her hands and clarifying to Nathan how nervous she felt about taking that step.

"Are you gonna be up to that?" he worriedly questioned, looking down at Brooke in concern and frowning when she simply shrugged.

"I can't keep running forever, I guess" she said, sounding more like she was trying to convince herself than anything else, "And this is important for the company…" she told him, yet was unable to help herself and almost immediately added, "I just…"

"You just what, Brooke?" Nathan encouraged her to continue speaking when her voice trailed off uncertainly.

"I just want to create a stress-free environment for Luke for the next few days and to focus on him- and not on flying over to New-York next week…" Brooke explained, causing Nathan to nod understandingly, as he thought her words over. It didn't take too long before he came up with a suggestion.

"How about you do the fashion show here, in Tree Hill?" he advised, causing Brooke to raise her eyes and look at him skeptically, "Think about it… It will be much more special than yet another New-York fashion show, and you could show the whole world where your home and the home of _Clothes over Bros'_ really is… Plus- this way you would be able to spend as much time as you want with Lucas, even when you'll be busy preparing for the show…" he pointed out, causing Brooke's eyes to light up.

"You know what- that might actually work… I'll just have to run that by George tomorrow, but that's a really good idea, Nate!" she complimented, causing Nathan to playfully give her a cocky grin.

"They don't call me a mastermind for nothing…" he joked, causing Brooke to laugh a little.

"Now- who exactly called you that?" she teasingly questioned, giggling when Nathan nudged her playfully. Once the two of them quieted down, Nathan glanced over at her and realized that even though she seemed much more relaxed, there was still something that appeared to be bothering Brooke.

"What's going on, Brooke?" he asked in a straightforward manner, truly wanting to know what else was bothering his dear friend.

Sighing, Brooke could only honestly reply, "I'm just scared… I don't want this person to win, but what if it is Victoria or someone else who doesn't want me to run the company? What if holding this fashion show will push this person's buttons and only make things worse…" she expressed her fears, feeling ashamed for being so weak, but unable to keep her feelings bottled up after seeing such explicit threats directed to her and to her dear ones, "I won't be able to live with myself if someone will get hurt because of this…" she said, shuddering at the mere thought.

"You can't live in fear, babe" Nathan softly told her, rubbing his hand up and down her back once again when she nodded in agreement, "and we will all make sure you won't have a reason to…" he protectively added, causing tears of gratitude to prick in Brooke's eyes due to the genuine care he had for her, "With the amount of cops following your every move- this person would be a complete fool to try anything again…" he comfortingly told her, putting a soft smile back on her face.

"Thank you, Nate…" she nodded, feeling like the luckiest girl in the world to have a wonderful friend like Nathan, who cared about her so much.

"You don't have to thank me, Brooke- you're a part of my family, so making sure that you are safe and feeling secure matters to me" he said, and now Brooke's eyes were pooling with even more tears, as his words made her realize just how fierce their friendship truly was, yet at the same time- they also made her think about Lucas, Nathan's real family member, whose wellbeing concerned her so much at that moment.

"Hey- you're not supposed to be crying over the fact that I think of you as family… I thought that you already knew that you wouldn't get rid of me so easily…" Nathan teased, nudging Brooke's side slightly in an attempt to get her to smile, as her tears would always break his heart.

"I'm sorry…" she croaked, uselessly wiping her eyes and trying to compose herself, yet unable to keep up with her tears, which just kept on rolling down her cheeks despite her attempts, "It's just been a stressful day, and clearly I haven't been dealing with it as well as I would have liked to…" she rambled in embarrassment, in between sniffles.

"You're only human, Brooke…" Nathan kindly reminded her, clarifying to her that nobody was judging her for being affected by the threat letters she received and by Lucas' hospitalization. When she just bit onto her lower lip, desperately trying to get a grip over her emotions, Nathan pulled her back into his arms and held her, trying to give her the strength and support she needed.

"I just feel like I should be able to be as strong for Lucas as he has been for me throughout everything so far…" Brooke replied, explaining why her emotional state currently made her feel like a failure.

Nathan, however, simply replied, "You can be there for Lucas tomorrow, Brooke, but tonight- just let it all out… Tonight just let it all go, so tomorrow you'll be able to be strong for Lucas…"

And that's exactly what Brooke did…

* * *

On the next morning, Brooke indeed felt like she regained most of her inner strength. She couldn't exactly say she had gotten a long, good night's sleep, but the long midnight talk she had with Nathan did indeed make her feel much better and enabled her to at least sneak in several hours of decent sleep afterwards. When she woke up in the morning, feeling somewhat refreshed, a dozen ideas about how she could make homecoming more pleasant and relaxing for Lucas entered her mind. She had been slightly dismayed to learn from Bob that the police investigators had yet to finish working on the crime scene that her house had turned into, yet she forced herself to stay positive and to focus on the fact that Lucas would be coming home today, even if home wouldn't currently mean her house. When Karen called and insisted that 'home' would be her house for the next few days, as she also wanted to take care of her son while he was on bed rest, Brooke was actually happy to oblige. After spending so long away from the older brunette, whose motherly presence gave her such a strong sense of family and belonging, Brooke was eager to be around her as much as she could. She therefore gratefully thanked Nathan and Haley for their hospitality and then hurriedly left their house, her head already buzzing with thoughts on what surprises she should prepare for her boyfriend in order to make it more comfortable for him while he was recuperating.

Approximately an hour later, Brooke arrived at Karen's house, causing the older woman to laugh in amusement as she took in the sight of her entering the house with a handful of bags. After apologizing for the mess, Brooke began spreading her surprises throughout the house and afterwards joined Karen in the kitchen, proudly explaining to her boyfriend's mother that she had decided to bake an apple pie for her son. Forcing herself to keep a straight face and hide her amusement, as she could clearly remember Brooke's lack of cooking skills, Karen only gently offered to give Brooke a helping hand, yet didn't press the matter when Brooke politely declined. Instead of making Brooke feel like she was being supervised, Karen decided to simply cook a few treats of her own, so they could have some backup, just in case…

An hour later, when both women were finished and surprisingly- an edible-looking pie was cooling off on the kitchen table, it was time for Karen and Brooke to head over to the hospital. Eager to see her boyfriend and to pamper him with all of the treats she had gotten for him, Brooke was practically bouncing down the hospital halls on the way to Lucas' room, much to Karen's amusement.

"Good morning, boyfriend!" she excitedly greeted Lucas, giving him an extra-joyful smile, as she wanted to lift his spirits up and make up for the previous day, during which she had been too much of a mess to truly take care of him properly.

"Well- good morning, cheery!" Lucas genuinely smiled back at Brooke, truly glad to see that she appeared to be doing much better this morning "You seem very… cheery this morning" he made his observation known, chuckling when Brooke skipped up to him and gave him a sweet, gentle kiss.

"I'm just glad you get to come home today, where I can personally make sure that you will get _all_ better" she replied with a wink, causing Lucas to shake his head in entertainment.

"I'm sure you will…" Lucas said, jokingly faking a skeptic expression, and causing Brooke to playfully swat at his arm.

"Hey! Be nice, mister! I spent the better part of this morning baking you a pie!" she announced proudly, narrowing her eyes at Lucas when he feigned a look of horror.

"So you're saying that if I won't be nice- you'll force me to eat it?" he teased her, laughing out loud when Brooke just huffed and dramatically turned her back to him.

"Now, now Lucas- be nice!" Karen made her presence known as she jokingly warned her son with a smile.

Grinning back at his mother and giving her a nod of acknowledgment, Lucas turned his attention back to his girlfriend and placed his hands on her hips, gently squeezing her. "I'm just kidding, pretty girl" he apologized, kissing her shoulder and pulling her closer to him when she pretended to shrug him off, "I can't wait to taste that pie of yours…" he added in an attempt to appease her, finally getting her to turn to him and give him a dimpled smile.

"You're gonna love it!" she excitedly babbled, giggling slightly when Lucas nodded and pulled her in for a loving kiss. To be honest, knowing that Brooke had put in that effort for him was enough to make him love that pie she had made, regardless of what it would taste like, and Lucas swore to himself that even if that pie was anything like what Brooke had been capable of making back in high school- he would still tell her that it was great. He swore to himself that he would make Brooke feel good about whatever it was she had managed to make, for her thought and effort were what really counted.

An hour later, after he had been discharged and driven to his home by his mother, Lucas didn't even think that this task would be as difficult as he feared. Upon entering the house and seeing a reasonable looking pie resting on the kitchen table, his eyes widened in surprise and pride for how far his pretty girl must have come since she had been a teenager. As Brooke led him throughout the house, however, attentively hovering over him as she tried to make sure that he was comfortable and enabled him to find the many little gifts she had thoughtfully prepared for him- Lucas realized that his baby was still the same crazy, big-hearted girl she had been when he had fallen in love with her as a teenager. Just like in high school, she had "pimped his house" as a surprise for his safe homecoming from the hospital, yet this time- he was going to make sure she knew how much he appreciated her. This time, he was going to cherish the flowers, special tea bags, 'get well soon' balloon, soothing massage lotions and every other present Brooke had bought him, just like he was going to cherish the pretty girl who had been so considerate and kind to prepare all of them for him.

"You're the best girlfriend ever, Brooke Davis…" Lucas sincerely told her, giving her a tired smile as she helped him into bed and neatly tucked him under his covers.

"Only the best for my man…" Brooke replied with a wink, bending down to kiss his lips sweetly and then gently running her fingers through his hair as she questioned, "Do you want to take a nap now or would you like me to get you something to eat?"

Grinning at her weakly, yet mischievously at the same time, Lucas replied, "I want a piece of that delicious looking pie…" he said out of pure desire to see her happy. His plan proved to be successful when Brooke's face lit up happily before she practically raced out of the room with the promise of returning to his side shortly.

Several minutes later, when Brooke emerged back in the room, holding onto a plate with a piece of pie and a steaming cup of tea, Lucas couldn't help but grin at the happy dimpled smile plastered all over her face. Patting the space next to him, he quietly beckoned her over with a "come here, pretty girl", to which she happily obliged. She carefully handed him the plate and placed the drink she had prepared for him by his bedside, watching him closely as he carved his fork into the pie and prepared it so he could take the bite into his mouth.

Lucas didn't even taste the tart when Brooke's nerves got the better of her, causing her to let out an anxious "Well?"

Chuckling, Lucas was about to ascertain her that the pie was wonderful when its flavor suddenly registered to his taste buds. Its very strange flavor… He was fighting the urge to make a face at the odd taste in his mouth, as he didn't want to hurt his sensitive girlfriend's feelings, yet with the way she was staring at him, he doubted she would buy his attempts to ascertain her that the pastry she had made was fine when it was actually rather… salty. Still, trying his best to bring back the fading smile to Brooke's face, Lucas forced himself to smile and let out a rather unconvincing "Yum…"

Immediately realizing that something was wrong due to the way Lucas' face practically turned green before her eyes, Brooke's face blanched in horror, "It's no good, is it?" she began to realize, and despite the way Lucas shook his head in dismissal, she worriedly questioned, "How bad is it?" not even waiting for an answer before she grabbed the fork from Lucas' hand and took a bite of the pie herself, nearly choking once she realized what it tasted like.

"Oh my god…" she exclaimed in disgust, coughing and rushing to the bathroom to rinse her mouth, making it very hard for Lucas to refrain from bursting out laughing. He realized that if he would keep his mouth full, laughing would be more difficult and therefore he grabbed the cup of tea Brooke had brought him, taking a sip, yet almost immediately coughing when the supposedly-sweet drink created a salty trail through his esophagus. That was when he realized what was wrong with Brooke's cake- she had mistaken his salt container for sugar. It was also then that he could no longer hold his laughter in and he let out choked chuckles, which mixed with his coughs.

"Luke, are you O.K.?" Brooke almost immediately emerged from the bathroom- looking at him in concern as he struggled to catch his breath.

"You… put… salt… in the… cake and… tea…" Lucas struggled to inform her, unable to stop his coughs and laughs even when Brooke blushed in embarrassment and narrowed her eyes at him, wordlessly demanding that he would stop laughing at her.

"What's going on in here?" when Karen poked her head into the room, Brooke's face only became more flushed, which caused Lucas to only laugh harder at how adorable she looked.

"I put salt in the cake…" Brooke shamefully admitted, causing Karen to bit onto her lip in order to keep her own laughter at bay. Noticing this, Brooke defeatedly added, "And all of you are making fun of me, when all I tried to do was make something that will be good for Luke's heart…" she pouted, sounding so childish and disappointed that Karen immediately felt the need to encourage her.

"Oh Brooke…" she laughed, "_Laughter_ is the best medicine for the heart, so you _did_ help greatly…" Karen offered words of support, waiting until the dimpled smile once again graced Brooke's face until she teased her, "And besides- I baked a 'Plan B' just in case- so we still have some dessert if Lucas wants some…"

"That sounds great, Ma" Lucas jokingly winked at her, chuckling when Brooke groaned in shame and buried her face in her hands while Karen went over to the kitchen, to fetch him some edible sweets…

Looking down at his huddled-over girlfriend, Lucas couldn't help but smile at her adoringly and gently gather her into his arms. Kissing her on top of her head, he honestly told her, "I'm really proud of you for trying, babe". When she just grumbled into his chest in response, Lucas chuckled and added, "And I really appreciate everything you prepared for me" he honestly told her, finally getting her to peak up at him.

"I'm sorry your mom had to make a "Plan B" in order for you to eat something fit for human consumption…" Brooke mumbled awkwardly, causing Lucas to burst out laughing at the unusual way she had decided to word her sentence.

"Oh crazy girl…" he fondly shook his head at her, "The only "Plan _B_" I've ever needed is a "Plan _**B**__rooke Davis_"..." Lucas wittily remarked, finally putting a content smirk on his girlfriend's face and causing her to gently attach her lips to his for a soft, caring kiss. His mother was right- laughter was the best thing for his heart, and with Brooke Davis around- he was sure to get well soon, for laughter and happiness were all there was in store for them from now on. Or so he hoped…

* * *

**AN: So, there it is... Lucas is suspicious of Phillip the reporter, but is he right about his suspicions? My lips are sealed! All I will say is that things will become much clearer really soon!**

**I would love it if you would share your thoughts about this chapter! :-)**


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